Touhou: Ancestral Roots
by Gabriel Helsing
Summary: "The land of Gensokyo. The home of creatures that once threatened humans, now live in peace. A world where the barriers between fantasy and reality are close to non-existent. I was brought here by mere coincidence, and kept here for reasons that seem legit. But what I didn't expect to find, is how closely related Gensokyo is... with my family." Cover created by SolarBladeArtifex.
1. Chapter 0

**Introduction/Chapter 0: Homeland of the Yokai**

"Okay, I'll admit. I am hopelessly and utterly lost."

I don't know how long I've been here, but I must have been walking for a few hours. Before that, I found myself in this uncharted jungle of a bamboo forest with a throbbing headache with no idea how I got here.

The last thing I remembered was walking back home after finishing my part time late at night. I just left for home after finishing my part-time

Suddenly, all the lights went out. The street lights, the lights in nearby houses, even my cell phone. I tried to move, but then a blunt strike beamed my head.

I reach for my cell phone, but it was missing. Now I have little choice but to walk, and all the stalks look the same. And no matter where I go, **everything **looks the same!

…

I must be going insane. At this rate, I'll never get out! I'm gonna die-

***BANG! BANG!***

I hit my head on bamboo shoot to keep my thoughts from going in that direction.

Stay calm, no matter what situation you are in. Acting on your emotions will only bring ruin. Breathe in, breathe out… C'mon, Seido! Get a grip!

I have to stay calm; I can't afford to panic now. Besides running around like a chicken with its head cut off won't do me any good.

*RUSTLE*

I turn around in reaction to a sudden movement.

…

Am I seeing things, or is there really a Nagashi-Bina doll standing in front of me?

"Are you lost?"

There is a life-sized version of the said doll, shaped like a little girl and staring at me with a creepy grin on her face, asking if I am lost.

…

This has got to be some sick joke.

I reach out and began pulling off the doll's head. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I really don't wanna be bothered right now."

*RIP!*

I expected someone's head underneath the silly costume. Instead, I get a gaping hole.

"Why did you tear off my head? That is very impolite you know."

I look at the head still in my hands, giving me a look that a condescending adult toward a misbehaving child.

"Would you mind returning my head? I'd rather have it back."

…

"GAAAAAHHHH!"

I shriek from the talking disembodied head in the hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I shouted while tossing the head back at the body.

"No harm done." The doll said while putting its head back on. After it reattaches to the neck, the doll moves its head to test it. "As yokai, we're more durable than you humans,"

"Oh, that's good… Wait a minute, did you say 'Yokai'? As in those monsters and spirits in those old legends? They exist?"

"Of course, we exist. You're staring at one right now, aren't you?"

Then it clicks.

"So Yokai, as in Tengu, Oni, Kappa, Tanuki, Karakasa…"

"All of them, every single one of them exists."

… So, I've gathered.

"...Where am I?"

"You're in Gensokyo, outsider."

Wait, what the heck is a Gensokyo?

"You must leave. This is no place for your kind to be in. Follow me to the exit, please."

Left with little choice, I followed the doll as she led the way.

"Now, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"First, what is your name?"

She glanced behind me, "Of all the things to ask first, you ask for my name instead?"

"It's pretty much the first thing I ask when meeting a new person. Though there are a few exceptions like just now."

"… My name is Osamu, and yours?"

"Seido."

Osamu told me that before Gensokyo came to be, it was once a desolate, haunted region of Japan. The yokai here terrorized the surrounding regions, so humans with great, spiritual power were sent to exterminate them. The battle between the two continued until Gensokyo was sealed off from the rest of the outside world using the Great Hakurei Barrier.

"Wait, so the barrier was created to keep humans outside away instead of keeping the yokai in?" I asked.

Osamu chuckled, "Both, actually. Because of it, we yokai have gained a home while the humans will no longer trouble us. However, some humans have chosen to live here in their village."

"A win-win scenario. So how did I get here?"

"That, I am not sure. The Hakurei Shrine is the only known gateway between Gensokyo and the Outside World. Sometimes, humans wander in by accident. Despite that, it is supposed to be the only gateway to the Outside World. Some yokai have managed to create holes in the Great Boundary. We are the ones who strengthened it, so it is natural we know how to weaken it."

"But… why? Doesn't it go against the very reason the border was created?" I ask, even more confused by her explanation.

Osamu hesitates, "We have our reasons."

I frowned for a moment before shrugging, "Well if you say so, I'm in no position to pry about your business anyway."

"Thank you, Seido."

"No problem. So why did I end up in some bamboo thicket alone and dazed?"

"I do not know. Someone might have dropped you by accident."

Somehow, I doubt that's what happened.

"Ah. We have arrived"

Shielding my eyes from the glare of sunlight, I waited for my eyes to adapt to the brightness before surveying the landscape before me.

A large river in front me, a Japanese village on the other side and a huge mountain behind it, a large forest to my left, a lake with a mist hanging over it, what looked like a large garden way over to the right. Turning around, I counted… four huge mountains on the opposite side of the bamboo jungle.

As I stared at the view with mouth wide open, Osamu grinned, "What do you think of it?"

"I-It's beautiful."

"Now, I must take my leave." Osamu says as she bows.

"How come?"

"I must scare away lost humans who come too close to the Youkai Mountain and collect their misfortune." She points at the large mountain in front of us.

That's pretty far… Why did she-

"Wait, what? You collect my misfortune?" I asked sounding skeptical.

"Fear not, all of your misfortune has been completely removed."

"Umm… thanks I guess."

"The human village will give you both shelter and aid. Should you still desire to return home, you may wish to speak with the Priestess of the Hakurei Shrine." She mutters the title somewhat darkly.

Curious, I ask, "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing."

"Not according to your face."

At my urging, Osamu finally consents, "Very well. She defeated our leader, Hina Kagiyama, while scaling Youkai Mountain."

I'm dumbfounded, "The Priestess beat up your leader for getting in her way?"

Osamu nodded. "Lady Hina insisted that the priestess misunderstood her intentions, and now they have cleared it up."

The looks on your face tells me you don't believe it one bit.

I place my hands in my pocket, "Well, thanks for taking me out of that place. Oh! And… sorry for ripping your head off like that."

…

Damn, that sounds so wrong!

Osamu chuckled, "Not to worry. And thank you for taking your time to listen to this old doll. Farewell, Seido and may you find your way home."

After waving goodbye to my new friend, I take a deep breath and head straight for the village. Hopefully someone there can tell me how to reach Hakurei Shrine.

….

And done! Hopefully, this chapter is a little better than the last one.

I've read and re-read all sources of canon information on Touhou while writing this. The description of the landscape is based on Onimaru's Canon map of Gensokyo. If there is anything I got wrong or missed, please let me know via PM.

EDIT: Added a few bits and made some necessary corrections.

Now to work on Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Family Ties & History**

Back in the real world, on the veranda of a certain Japanese estate sits an old man in his late 70s, with grey hair and wearing a blue kimono, quietly watching the sky while sipping tea. When suddenly, "Master Genma! MASTER GENMA!"

Genma Yukimoto sighed to himself; it seems that he can't even have a single day of peace anymore.

"What is it, Midori?" He turned towards a young woman with long, black, flowing hair in her late 20s.

"It's horrible, Master Genma! The young master… he is missing!"

Genma raised an eyebrow, "Now hold your horses, Midori. Which young master are you talking about?"

"The eldest! The eldest young master is missing! He hasn't return home last night, and they found his cell phone lying on the street!"

"Oh really?" Genma said nonchalantly, "Then, there is nothing to worry about."

Midori stared in horror at the old man, "Master, do you realize what you are saying! This is your grandchild we are talking about!"

"Now Midori, you know that Kamino has been taking self-defense lessons from when he was merely 12 years old. He could handle any low thug on his own. Judging by what you tell, it sounds like he disappeared without so much as a struggle. Which means whatever ambushed him… could not have been human."

To say that Midori was horrified would be quite the understatement, "That's impossible! The family heirloom, it should have hidden his presence from the yokai! And if somehow it is true, that means the young master is in even greater peril!"

Genma sipped his tea, "My dear Midori. Have you forgotten a certain Yokai of Boundaries that our family has known for generations?"

As if on cue, a gap opened behind Genma, revealing a dimension with many eyes. A young woman walks out, wearing a purple Chinese-style tabard with various trigrams over a pale pink Western-style dress, otherwise known as a Taoist dress to the Japanese community. Her blond hair is coiled up into her mob cap and a parasol is seen hanging on her left hand.

Genma glanced behind him, "Ah, Yukari Yakumo. It has been awhile."

Yukari smirked, "Genma Yukimoto, I see that your age has not affected your perception one bit."

The old man laughed, "Would you like some tea?

"Gladly."

The Yokai of Boundaries sat down and laid her parasol at her side before receiving a cup of tea from Genma.

Midori looked at both of them before her anger gets the best of her, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!"

Both man and yokai stared at the woman.

"Master, how can you be so calm when the one responsible for the young master's disappearance in front of! And you!" Midori glared at Yukari, "How dare you show your face here!"

"My my, is that how you treat your guests? You do realize that sort of behaviour will have you disemployed?" Yukari said as she covered her face with her fan.

"I don't care! If anything happens to the young master, I will cut you down from where you…"

"ENOUGH." Genma said in a soft yet firm and authoritative tone. Midori immediately backed down, lowering her head.

Yukari lowered her fan and smirked, "I see that the dog still knows who holds the leash." Midori glared at her, "And before you go baring your fangs at me again, I must tell you that it is misdirected, for I am not the one responsible for your precious master's disappearance."

There was disbelief in the eyes of humans.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he was taken by three yokai who were targeting humans here." She then raised her hand before anyone could speak, "And yes, I am well aware of the heirloom Kami-kun has inherited that hides his presence from all yokai, including me. It is likely he walked straight into a trap set up by the said yokai and was brought to Gensokyo to be cooked. Or at least he would be if Reimu haven't found out and had them exterminated."

Genma raised his cup, "Hah! That's Hakurei's descendant for ya!"

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to find Kami-kun among the humans we recovered. It is likely he fell off while those yokai were being chased by Reimu. My shikigami, Ran is searching for him as we speak. Though I'm sure you both realize with due to the charm, the search is a lot harder than it's supposed to be."

A sudden ringtone caught Yukari's attention.

"Excuse me." Yukari took out a cell phone and answered it, "Hello? Ran, have you found him? ... I see. Good work, Ran. Continue to monitor him for now."

Midori looked Yukari as the yokai put her cell phone way, "Well?"

"He is safe and is currently in the human village. Now if you excuse me…" Yukari got up, taking her parasol, "It's time for me to go meet with him."

"Yukari." The Yokai turned to Genma, "I know you and I don't know what your little scheme is or why you need Kamino, but as long as you can guarantee his safety I won't bother."

"Really now, do you think that every little thing I do all involves a scheme?"

"If I said no, then I'd be lying." The old man said with a grin.

"Really!" Yukari said with a huff before opening a gap as large as her.

"Oh yeah, before I forget!" Genma called out, "He prefers to be called Seido now!"

"Noted." Yukari said as she entered her gap, leaving both humans to themselves.

"Still worried?" Genma asked Midori, who nodded her head.

"He'll be fine, he is my grandson after all. Ah, to be young again~" The old man chuckled to himself.

…..

**Gensokyo: Human Village**

I've arrived at the village without incident, thankfully. But it sure feels awkward being the only one in modern clothes. It's like wearing a costume at a formal party.

"Hey kid! You're an outsider, aren't ya?"

I turned to see a bear yokai standing next to me. He has brown fur, has a hoe on his shoulder and is wearing farmer's clothing that consists of a jacket, a vest and field worker pants.

I gave a curt bow. "Yes, my name is Seido. What's your name?"

"Whoa, okay." The bear was surprised, "The name's Kenma. Honestly, I expected you to run away screaming like all the other outsiders I met."

If I hadn't met Osamu first, I'd freak out too. You are a bear after all.

"Can you direct me to the Hakurei Shrine?"

"Oh! So you already know about all of the places in Gensokyo?"

I shook my head, "No, just the places thought necessary for me to know."

"I could show where it is if I wasn't busy." Kenma frowned, "And I should tell you, it's not safe for you to go alone."

"How come?"

"Rogue yokai attacks. Lone humans are easy targets for these yokai."

So humans are still targets even now. Nothing has changed.

"I guess I'll try to ask somebody to accompany me. Where is the shrine?"

Kenma pointed in the direction of another mountain, to the left of Youkai Mountain, "Hakurei shrine would be in the middle of those two mountains. There's a straightforward path here that leads to it, so you can't miss it."

"Okay… how long will it take to walk there?"

"About two hours."

"TWO HOURS!" I shouted, "That's way too long!"

"Sorry, Seido. Unless you can fly, it's the only way to go. I better get going now, see ya Seido."

"Right, see ya." I waved goodbye to Kenma before taking a walk around the village, sighing myself.

A two-hour walk. There's no way I can go that long without meeting any yokai unless I could fly… Easier said than done.

One of my bad habits is walking while thinking. I don't pay attention to where I am going while in deep thought, so it's no surprise I often bump into someone or something. This time it's the former.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going!"

"I-I'm sorry. Are you alright?" It was then I noticed that I was just outside a shop called Kourindou.

The person I ran into is a young woman with blond hair with single braid on side tied with pick ribbon, wearing a black blouse with white sleeves, a black skirt with white frills along with a white apron and a red ribbon tied around her neck. Her head is covered by a large black witch's hat tied with a pink ribbon and her hand is holding a bamboo broom.

… You've got to be kidding me.

"It's alright. Oh, are you an outsider?"

"Yeah, my name is Seido. Are you by any chance… a witch?"

The woman grinned while nodding her head, "Yup! My name is Marisa Kirisame , the Ordinary Magician. Nice to meet you!" She then held her hand in front of me.

"Err… Yeah, sure." I shook hands with her before sighing again.

"Are you okay? You looked troubled ze."

"I wanted to head to Hakurei Shrine, but they told me it was too dangerous to go alone."

"Oh! In that case why don't you come with me? I'm heading there myself ze."

I looked at her in surprise, "Are you sure? I don't want to trouble you…"

Marisa grinned, "It's no trouble at all."

She then sat on her broom and started floating in the air. It sure was something, even if I was expecting it to happen.

"Hop on." Marisa gestured at the space she made on her broom.

I get to fly to Hakurei shrine AND ride on witch's broom? Osamu, you wonderful bas- I mean friend.

Sitting on the broom, I held on as tight as I can for obvious reasons.

"Ready? Here we go!"

As we lifted off, I watched as the ground below got smaller and smaller as we gained altitude. The view was magnificent.

"What do you think ze?"

"I think it's brilliant!"

We soon arrived at Hakurei Shrine and I reluctantly got off while Marisa calling out, "Reimu! Reimu, are you here?"

"Is that the name of Hakurei Shrine's priestess?"

"Yup! And she is my best friend!"

The shrine itself was just like the shrines in Japan. I walked closer and saw a saisen box in front. It is rather dusty and looks empty.

"I guess she's not here. Maybe Reimu went out exterminating yokai."

"She's what?"

"Exterminating yokai, that's her job. I'm a part-timer myself ze."

I'm not sure I can take you seriously with the way you talk.

"Well, since she's not here I might as well-"

*KLING! KLING! KLING!*

"What the?" That sounds like coins dropping… and it came from the saisen.

I peered into the box and sure enough, there are several coins inside now. Where did they come from?

"Hey, what are you doing!"

I turned around to see another girl. She has blackish-brown hair that reaches to her back, a large, red bow on her head with a red hair ornament attached on both sides of her face. Her clothing is typical miko clothing with the exception of detached sleeves and a red bow on her chest. She also holds a gohei in her hand.

Wait, how did she get here?

She went past Marisa and pushed past me. After peering into box, her stern expression changed to one of surprise.

"Did you… did you donate this?" She asked me.

"Huh? No, I didn't…"

"Of course, he did ze! Who else is there?"

That's what I want to know!

Better change the subject, "I'm Seido. So you must Reimu, right?"

"Yes. I'm Reimu, the Shrine Maiden of Paradise."

…. Is it significant for everyone here to have some fancy title?

"Hey, Reimu! I came over to play!"

"Can it wait? I just finished exterminating a lot of yokai today…"

"C'mon! Just one match, please?"

"…Fine, how many Spell Cards this time?"

"Three ze!"

Now I'm just plain confused, "Err, hello? The outsider is lost here."

"We're playing danmaku ze!"

Did she just say what I think she just said?

"I think you better sit in the shrine, it will be dangerous for you to be close." Reimu pointed to the veranda.

"Gotcha." If Marisa really meant what she said just now, this thing just got a whole lot better.

Sitting down on the veranda, I looked with great anticipation as the two girls slowly raised themselves into the air.

Unable to help myself, I shouted, "FIGHT!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Memories of Danmaku**

Do you know those old-school danmaku or as most non-Japanese would call them, Bullet Hell games? Those games that have you dodge that have you dodge insane amounts of bullets while looking from the top like Batsugun, Battle Garrega and Ketsui?

I love those games… and still do. These Bullet Hell games were actually the first video games I ever played, starting when I was 5 years old. I was pretty bratty back then, and would often fling the controller away and cry every time I game over. It takes a lot of concentration to dodge the seemingly endless walls of bullets all the while trying to concentrate on taking down your enemies. The fact that the bullets can be unleashed into different shapes and patterns made it even more distracting, a nice idea on the developers' part. As expected from a kid, I got hooked up the moment I started playing them and gotten pretty good over time. Couldn't say the same for my grades though.

Unfortunately, over the years I neglected these games when newer games started showing up; Rockman, Castlevania, Megami Tensei and so on. And by the age 13, I had forgotten all about danmaku.

It wasn't until the age of 16 that the danmaku games made a surprise return into my life. My younger brother, Ryuuga who was 6 years old at the time, asked me what was the meaning of danmaku. At that moment, I immediately remembered the games I loved during my childhood. While the danmaku games I had were no longer working for obvious reasons, I was able to download them on my computer thanks to the internet. And that day, I treated my brother to all the ice-cream he could eat.

I was very rusty by then. But playing the danmaku games again made me happy, it was like relieving my own childhood. And I promised myself to NEVER forget about them ever again.

Sometimes, I wondered, "What would it be like if we were watching this in first person view rather than from the top?"

Well, today I just found my answer. Sort of.

…

I watched as Reimu and Marisa fly up into the air, shooting waves after waves of danmaku bullets at each other. Honestly, if I was told of a game where a miko and a witch were fighting using danmaku, I would wonder if the creator was drunk while making it.

Watching the fight with my own eyes is another thing.

Every so often, it would look as if one side had the other at the palm of her hand, only to break free and continue the fight.

I really wish I have some popcorn right now.

Reimu then took out some sort of card, "Spirit Sign: Fantasy Orb!"

She then spread her arms as she discharged 5 balls of prism light.

"This ought to be interesting. I wonder what that is?"

"That would be a Spell Card. *hic*"

It took me a moment or so to realize that there was someone beside me.

It was another girl (This is getting a little repetitive) who has two long straight horns on her head, decorated with ribbons. She is wearing wear a tattered pale pink blouse, a long purple and pink skirt, and 3 chain accessories tied to her belt as well as a gourd. She has long ginger hair, brown eyes… and practically reeks of alcohol.

"You must be an outsider." The horned girl said before drinking from her gourd.

I nodded, wondering how she could tell considering how hammered she is. I soon noticed that Marisa managed to dodge all but one ball, which hit her squarely on the head.

"That hurt ze! Magic Sign: Stardust Reverie!" She held out her hands in front of her and shot out several prism coloured stars.

Reimu managed to dodge most of the stars, but two of them hit her left arm and abdomen.

"Huh? Usually Reimu could dodge those without any problems. She must be really tired… or she could be slacking off too much."

I'm not gonna ask about that last part.

"I don't think so. Reimu did say she just came back after exterminating some yokai… Isn't it a little early to be drinking sake? Wouldn't you rather save that for later?" I asked.

"There's always time to drink sake! And don't worry, my gourd is an endless supply." I glanced as the horned girl patted her gourd to prove her point before offering some to me, "Want some?"

…. Meh, why not? I'm of age anyway. However, no sooner than the liquid entered my mouth, I started spitting it all out. The taste is WAY too strong!

"Hey! That's a waste of good sake!"

"The taste needs some getting used to." I wiped my mouth while giving back the gourd. "I'm Seido. Are you an oni by any chance?"

"Yup! The name's Suika Ibuki. How did you know I am an oni?"

I gestured at the two horns on her head, "Because it's the only yokai I can think of that has horns on its head."

"Spirit Sign: Fantasy Seal!" I turned back towards the battle to see Reimu discharging more balls of light. Must be a variation to the attack she did earlier.

"You're quite knowledgeable! Most of the outsiders who were here don't even know about yokai! By the way, how did you get here, Seido?"

"I'm not sure. I found myself lying in that bamboo jungle."

"Oh! So you were in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost? How did you leave?"

"Let's just say… I got lucky." I really want to concentrate on watching the battle.

"Funny, it isn't like Yukari to gap people to places like that."

Yukari? That name sounds familiar… No way, it can't be the same person… Could it?

"Who is this Yukari you're talking about?"

"That would be the yokai of boundaries, Yukari Yakumo."

That hit the bullseye. "YUKARI YAKUMO!" The friend of my grandpa, a yokai!

"Oh, did you meet her already?"

"Yeah… But, I didn't meet her here."

"Huh? What do you-"Suika paused as she looked up, "Hey Seido, I think you should move."

"Move? Move where?"

"From this spot." She then pointed at the sky. I followed her finger and see Reimu with her back towards us and Marisa pointing a… small box?

"Love Sign…"

From the angle Marisa is at… she's practically aiming at us! Getting bad feeling from Suika's warning, I decided to heed the oni's warning and I immediately ran out of the way.

"… Master Spark!" A giant laser decimated where I was sitting a few seconds ago, along with a part of the shrine's roof and veranda.

DID SHE JUST PULL OFF A KAMEHAMEHA! Wait… where's Suika!

I looked at the place where the giant laser had decimated… and see Suika drinking from her gourd as though nothing happened.

… Yup, she's an oni alright.

"HEY! Watch where you fire that thing, you almost hit me!" I shouted.

Marisa stuck out her tongue and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry ze!" However, her carefree expression soon turned into one of fear.

At first I was puzzled, then I noticed that something else in the vicinity. A VERY large amount of bloodlust was in the air… and it was coming from Reimu.

… That's right, the shrine was also caught in the line of fire.

"Marisa…" Reimu glared at the witch with the eyes of psycho. "Any last requests?"

"Umm… have mercy?

"Request denied. Fantasy Heaven!"

… I can't watch.

Goodbye Marisa. It was nice knowing you.

…..

**A few minutes later…**

"I can't believe you're still alive after taking that monster of an attack, Marisa! Even that… what did you call it? Master Spark of yours didn't come close!"

I am now sitting in the shrine with Reimu, Suika and a VERY bruised and battered, but otherwise alive Marisa. After Reimu had dealt her punishment, I introduced myself and explained my predicament. She then invited all of us for tea… and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Marisa alive and… not quite well.

"That's because *hic* danmaku isn't suppose to be lethal and Fantasy Heaven is *hic* Reimu's Last Word. Of course it would be that powerful." Suika explained before drinking more sake.

"Last Word? It doesn't look like something you would activate on the brink of death."

"No silly. It's just a title for the strongest spell card you have. You could say it is an absolute spell card that represents your will and conviction ze."

I nodded my head, "I see."

Reimu eyed me indecorously, "I'm surprised you haven't ask us about Spell Cards yet."

"Why should I? After all, you gave me a live demonstration about what Spell Cards are, and that's better than a full-course lecture." Suika and Marisa nodded their heads.

"You're surprisingly accepting to all this. I thought you'd go nuts with what you've seen here."

It was then another voice spoke, "That's because he's not like the other outsiders."

Who… Wait, I recognize that voice!

A hole of some sort suddenly opened and a familiar blond woman walks out of it.

I react immediately and stand on my feet, "Yukari!"

….

_**Flashback – 10 years ago**_

_My parents and I always went on weekly visits to my grandparents' home. I had always looked forward to these visits, since my grandfather would tell me stories about the various yokai that once roamed the land._

_The funny thing is, whenever I asked whether they are real, he would say, "If you believe they are real, then they are. If you don't believe they real, then they are not."_

_At the time, I was too young to understand what he meant._

_One day while we were visiting, I overheard grandpa talking to someone in private. Even though I knew it was rude to go barging in, my curiosity got the better of me._

_And that was when I met her._

"_Kamino! Come here, I want you to meet someone." I obeyed and was face to face with a pretty woman with yellow hair and purple dress. For some reason, I felt great unease towards her._

"_Oh! So this is your grandchild?"_

"_That's right. Don't be shy, greet her." My grandpa gently pushed my back as encouragement._

"_U-Um, hello! I am Kamino Yukimoto, nice to meet you!" I said while bowing my head._

"_My my~ aren't you polite, Kami-chan? My name is Yukari Yakumo, hope we get along~"_

…_._

_**End of Flashback**_

"So it's true. You really are a yokai." I crossed my arms while looking at Yukari.

"Oh, did they tell you about me already?" She gestured at the trio present besides us.

"Suika did actually, but only a little. Plus, the fact you haven't change in appearance since we first met proves the point."

"First met?" Reimu interjected, "You mean you met Yukari in the Outside World!"

I nodded my head, "I first met Yukari while visiting my grandparents. She's an old acquaintance of my grandfather, Genma. By the way, what kind of yokai are you, Yukari?"

"Oh? And here I thought I would not need a re-introduction~ Fufufu~" Yukari's dauting attitude Very well, since you ask so nicely ~ I am the Yokai of Boundaries, Yukari Yakumo, please to make your acquaintance once again."

… I see that haughty personality of hers hasn't changed and is it rule for everyone in Gensokyo to have some fancy title? But what she does mean?

"As I've said, Seido-kun, I am a yokai who can manipulate boundaries. Be they physical, mental or personal, they all bend to my will." She continued as though she read my mind.

… I'm having a tough time digesting this.

Reimu then cleared her throat, "Anyway, I'm guessing you're here to take him back?"

"Quite the opposite actually, I'm here to make sure he doesn't return."

…

….

…..

What?

"Excuse me, Yukari… But what did you say?"

"I am here to make sure you do not return to the Outside World."

…

WHAT. THE. HELL.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: My reason to stay**

I can't comprehend the situation before me.

In front of me is Yukari Yakumo, an old acquaintance of my grandfather. Though to be more accurate, it should be an acquaintance of my family for several generations.

The Yokai of Boundaries, one who is capable of manipulating the all types of boundaries, be they physical or mental.

And she is preventing me from returning back home, to the Outside World.

Why?

"Hold it, Yukari! You can't just keep him here just for your own amusement!" Reimu shouted.

Yukari looked indifferent, "On the contrary, I have a perfectly legit reason to keep him here in Gensokyo."

Walking towards me, she then raised her palm upward and a small hole opened in the space above it, revealing a familiar looking… Wait, that's my family's charm! I patted my pockets to find to confirm this.

"Yukari…" I glared at the yokai of boundaries when I heard Reimu gasped.

"What? This is…" Reimu then stared at me in shock as though seeing me for the first time.

"What? What is it?"

"You're emitting a large amount of spiritual energy all of a sudden! But how did you hide…" Reimu glanced at the charm in Yukari's hand.

"Fu-fu-fu, I see you've figured out. Indeed, this charm is what has been hiding his spiritual energy from detection… though it is only a matter of time before it loses its effectiveness."

"Err… hello? You've just lost the outsider here." I said while waving my hand.

"Well, Seido. Your body has been housing a large spiritual energy, enough to attract any yokai capable of detecting it if you were still in the Outside World. Here in Gensokyo however, the amount you possess is not surprising."

I raised an eyebrow, "Okay… and how exactly would you rate the amount of energy I have now?"

Reimu frowned as she gave it some thought, "Well, in terms of raw power, you're more powerful than most of the humans and average yokai in Gensokyo… but weaker than most of the Danmaku users I know, probably the weakest."

**BANG!**

… And that's the sound my face made when it connected with the table in front of me.

"What the hell! If my power is the weakest, then why would I be targeted in the first place! What's there to worry about?"

And I received a tap on the head, courtesy of Yukari's parasol, "Control yourself, Seido. While it is true your power is the weakest, it only applies when compared in Gensokyo, to those who can use Danmaku. In the Outside World however…"

I caught on, "The difference is so great that any yokai can locate me easily?"

"Correct, which is why you were given this charm." Yukari held up her hand, "However, the spell which is engraved on it is starting to wear off, having existed for more than 200 years."

Reimu stuttered at the news, "T-Two hundred years! That's impossible! There is no spell that could possibly last that long!"

"The spell is engraved on the charm, my dear. The charm acts as a catalyst which transfers the bearer's spirit energy into it, activating the spell without any need to cast."

For some reason, I felt that Yukari was leaving something out. I wasn't sure how a spell could last for 2 centuries, but then I don't know a thing about them anyway, "Okay… but getting back on topic, why do yokai want my spiritual energy?"

Reimu coughed a little, "I am sure you know that every living being contains spiritual energy, no matter what shape or form they take. Humans, animals, plants, yokai, we all have it and it connected deeply to the soul."

I nodded.

"Now this power is present in everyone, even the humans in the outside world. The only difference is that the spiritual energy of the humans out there is so small it is close to none existent. Comparing them with the humans here is like night and day."

Yukari brought up her fan, "Do you know why yokai hunt humans?"

I thought about it and shook my head.

"It is because rather than an everyday need, you humans are more like a delicacy towards us. An extraordinary meal cooked with the finest spices and ingredients, fit for a banquet."

… Well, that was very blunt. And are you sure you should say that in front of Reimu?

"However, there is a much deeper reason why we prefer to eat humans cooked."

To my surprise, it wasn't Yukari who said that, but Suika who now looked sober.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Marisa looked as confused as Reimu and I did.

Yukari looked grim, "Let me ask you question, what happens to the spiritual energy you have when you die?"

Reimu answered, "It dissipates and fades away as your soul leaves the body, before re-gathering when your soul is at the Sanzu River."

The Yokai of Boundaries nodded, "Now, if a yokai were to devour a human being while it is still alive, what would happen?"

Wait a minute… is she trying imply that...?

I asked, "Are you saying… that the yokai are able to absorb energy by devouring live human beings?"

Suika nodded her head, "By the devouring other living beings, yokai are capable of removing energy from the victim's body and add it to their own."

I frowned at this, "… There was no way that such a method would not have a backlash if overused or if the energy went beyond one's limit."

"Indeed, and we yokai had learn to firsthand what ill effects it would cause. But… that is a story for another time." Yukari waved her hand dismissively.

… I wonder if I could even take this seriously with that attitude of yours.

"Okay, I understand a little bit now. Basically, you want me to stay here so that I wouldn't get eaten and have my energy stolen by other yokai. But then, why would you want to do this? I mean, even if they did get my energy, Reimu and Marisa could easily decimate them without blinking an eye!"

"Not quite." To my surprise, it was Reimu who said that, "There is a matter of the Spell Card system."

"The Spell Card system? Wait, so there's more to those cards you used?"

"Not exactly. The system itself was made so that every Danmaku user would have a fair chance of victory regardless of their strength. So even if the yokai who ate you is weaker than me, there is still a chance it could beat me."

… Seriously!

"That is not all. Let's say which ever yokai who wants to devour has succeeded, what makes you think it will stop with just you? What's preventing it from continuing to devour humans here? Or even in the outside world? And if it is the latter, how do you propose we stop it? The magic here doesn't work out there."

… I said nothing.

"Now you understand… the reason why I can't let you leave. Of course, I don't expect you to just sit around and twiddle your thumbs. You will be learning how to use Danmaku, after all you are not one to stand around being protected all the time. In fact, you are now cursing the fact you are unable to protect anyone, including yourself. Am I wrong?"

… Damn it Yukari, you don't pull any punches.

Yukari folded her fan and pointed it towards me, "Well, Seido? What is your answer?"

"If you already know that much about me Yukari, then you should already know what my answer is." I answered. "I'm staying."

"I expected no less."

I then held out my hand, "Now that we're done...May I have my charm back… please?"

"Fu-fu-fu, since you ask so nicely~"

As the charm was returned, Marisa came closer. "Hey, do you think I can borrow this?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What for?"

"I just want to take a look."

Shrugging, I placed the charm into the witch's hands who looked enthusiastic.

Reimu glanced at me, "I wouldn't if I were you…"

I returned the glance, unsure about what the shrine priestess meant.

Marisa looked outside, "Hey, the sun is almost down! I better get home before dark ze!" She then placed the charm under her hat before getting up and going outside with her broom.

"Wait! When are you going to return my charm?"

She looked over her shoulder and grinned, "Don't worry! You can have it back when I'm dead ze!"

….

WAIT JUST A DAMN MINUTE, WITCH!

**BANG!**

For those of you wondering, that was the sound of me tackling Marisa into the ground before she could lift off. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid to tackle someone who can fire giant lasers. Then again, I would suffer a fate far worse than getting blasted if I just let her take my charm like that.

And I'd rather not talk about unless needed.

"Ouch! What was that for? Let me go!" Marisa cried while trying to pry my arms from her waist.

I tightened my grip, "Like hell! Not until you give me back my charm!"

"Why? You said I could borrow it!"

"I never said you can keep it until your DEATH! That charm is really important to my family! I can't just let you take it like this!"

Marisa pouted, "But I want to look at it! And I let you ride my broom and brought you here! You can at least repay me by letting me look!"

… Crap, I hate it when people do this. She reminds me of Yukari and her "give and take" system of hers.

"Fine… but only until tomorrow and NOT A DAY LATER! No excuses! Promise me!"

Marisa sighed, "Alright, I promise that I will return your charm by tomorrow. Now can you please let me go?"

…

After Marisa left, I was greeted by a laughing Suika and Reimu. Yukari merely covered her face with her fan, no that it worked anyway.

"I didn't think I'd ever see that Marisa getting knocked down like that! And by an outsider no less!" Suika chuckled.

"My-my, only a day here and you've already started chasing girls and sweeping them off their feet? You're quite the beast, aren't you? A little advice: literally knocking them down does not help improve your relationship." Yukari quipped, causing Reimu and Suika to laugh even harder.

… Well, two can play this game Yukari.

"And I'm just getting started." I declared, raising my hand into the air. "I will woo and conquer the hearts of every girl and woman in this place, be they human and Yokai and turn Gensokyo into my own… PERSONAL… HAREM!"

The look on Reimu and Suika's faces were priceless, I wished I still have my cellphone, a picture would be nice.

Crossing my arms, I then gave a sly grin. "So, do you have any other stupid stuff to say about me? I'd be more than happy to troll you."

Yukari pouted, "And here I was expecting you to make that cute face when you're flustered… since when did you have such a big mouth?"

"Since I grew tired of you making fun of me all the time, and I'll be using it against you."

Reimu coughed, "Anyway, if Seido is going live in Gensokyo, where will he be staying?"

"Why, with you Reimu. After all, if he is going to learn about Danmaku and Spell Cards, it'd be more convenient that way, wouldn't it?"

Reimu looked shocked, "What!"

"Come now, Reimu. This isn't the first time you let an outsider stay here; you've done this plenty of times before."

"That's not the point! And you forced me let them stay here!"

"And why not? This is both the shrine and home of Reimu Hakurei, the protector of humans, exterminator of yokai and the strongest human in Gensokyo! If all the yokai knew that he was staying here, they wouldn't dare come close lest they invoke your wrath."

… She's got you there, Reimu.

"Fine… But only because I want to avoid another incident! Once, he's learned how to protect himself, he's out of here!"

… I'm guessing she has some less than pleasant experiences with the outsiders before me.

"Very well. Well then, Seido." Yukari turned towards me, "I shall see you tomorrow."

And with that, she passed through one of those holes and vanished.

"I meant what I said. You try anything funny and I'll kill you." Reimu glared at me while waving the gohei.

"I know, I haven't forgotten how you downright annihilated Marisa . So do you have a guestroom?"

Reimu nodded, "Yes. You better follow me."

Hmm? Wait a minute, where Sui- Oh! There she is, out cold from the sake she drank.

Come to think of it, I've got nothing with me. I better ask Yukari to let me get some essentials from home tomorrow. I'll need more than just the clothes on me.

…..

Not much to say here. But the story will go at its own pace with Seido meeting people and learning stuff from them.

After that though… *rubs hands together while grinning* things will kick off!

One other thing, Seido is right now… one of the weakest fighters among the well known Danmaku users, if not the weakest of them all.

But that doesn't mean he's completely helpless against them. After all, he can't protect anyone if he can't defeat the more powerful opponents. But that's all in due time.

Read and review, please and thank you.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Childhood Dreams**

I woke up to the sound of noisy hammering. Groaning in annoyance, I got up and went outside to see Suika nailing wood on the veranda.

Oh yeah, I forgot that Marisa blasted a hole through roof AND the veranda.

Looking up, I saw that the hole was also fixed. It was as if yesterday's battle never happened. Never pictured the oni as carpenters.

Then again, the Outside World's sense of logic doesn't apply here.

"Good morning, Suika. I see you've repaired the casualties from the skirmish yesterday."

Suika looked up, "Oh good morning, Seido! Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, sort of. But I was just going wake up anyway, though I'd prefer something else to be my alarm clock."

The Oni laughed, "Pretty honest, aren't ya?" She then paused, giving me a sly grin. "By the way, were you really kidding when you said you were going make Gensokyo your personal harem? You aren't lying, aren't you?"

She actually remembered that part?

"Oh no! You have seen through my deception!" I raised my hands in mock-defeat, before crossing my arms, "Of course, I'm kidding! I would sooner be beaten to death than make that "plan" into reality. You really think a single human could make it possible, considering the majority are yokai?"

Suika laughed, "Nope. It's just that most people would blush, flush or angrily retort back when Yukari makes those comments. You're the first person I've met who talks back like that."

I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? And what about you?"

The Oni shrugs, "Well, I've known Yukari for a long time, even before Gensokyo was created… and then there's Yuyuko."

"Yuyuko? Who's that?"

"Yuyuko Saigyouji, the dreaming bourei. You could say that she is Yukari's best friend and the only one who truly understands her.

Huh, who knew that Yukari had-Hold it!

A bourei? As in, the soul of deceased person? Does that mean Yuyuko is… deceased?

"Err… Suika? How long have those two known each other"

"Oh, about 1000 years or so."

… I-I have nothing to comment.

"Hey, Suika! Are you done repairing the holes? Oh! Good morning, Seido." Reimu greeted me.

"Hey, Reimu. Are you gonna start teaching me Danmaku now?"

Reimu raised an eyebrow, "Are you that eager to start?"

I nodded, "The sooner I get started the better."

…..

As a kid, I had some very childish dreams. A few them involved Dragon Ball and of Street Fighter.

Now what do these two have in common? They are both well-known titles among the otaku portion of society, their themes are mainly about fighting and have a long list of fighters as their cast. But for me, it is the name of their most prominent attacks. The Kamehameha and the Hadouken.

And what do these techniques have in common? Their users shoot energy out of their hands. Their. Bare. Freaking. Hands.

Yeah, I had always wanted to be able to shoot energy with nothing but my hands. It looked pretty cool and it is an ideal way of getting back at people you don't like. It wasn't until I was older that I realized such a thing is close to impossible, and that there'd be a lot of collateral damage if it was real. So, I pretty much shelved the idea, but never really forgotten about it.

After all, just because you're getting older, doesn't mean that the child you used to be would ever disappear. Get what I mean?

But now? Consider that childish dream, fulfilled.

…..

**One long lecture on Danmaku later…**

Forming energy was surprisingly easy, probably due to the various anime I watched that involved channeling one's internal energy and manifesting it outside the body. That's still up for debate though.

My current problem now is trying to decide what my main form of Danmaku bullets should be. Should I go for the classic low-in-attack-but-has-high-speed machinegun attack? Or maybe I should go for something different like the Z-fighters' ki blast? Semi-auto fire but has homing capabilities? Grr…

It's a good thing you can more than just one type of Danmaku attack, or I won't be getting anywhere.

"You better think carefully, once you've decided what form your Danmaku will be, you can't change it." Reimu warned.

"Out of curiosity, what kind of forms can Danmaku take? Besides the paper charms, balls, ying-yang orbs and needles you use and Marisa's stars and lasers?"

Reimu paused, counting her fingers, "Knives, bats, spikes, coins, flames, wind, butterflies… just about anything I guess."

… That's quite the variety.

Well since this is Danmaku, I would make more sense if I went for the machinegun. In a way, I guess I'm making peace with my Danmaku games for forgetting them for so long. Having made up my mind, I raised both hands and aimed at the tree in front of me.

Picturing myself as the one of those fighter jets you play as and the tree as one of the large "boss" airships, I grinned and let fly. Numerous bullets erupted from my hands and impacted on the tree continuously, leaving behind a cloud of dust. When I stopped and let the dust settle, the tree is still intact, albeit with some holes on its trunk.

"Not bad. I see you chose speed over power." Reimu observed.

I shrugged, "Power is meaningless if you can't hit your enemy with it." I looked at the tree again, "Hmm…"

If Danmaku can take all sorts of forms, then it would make sense that they take on various capabilities, right?

I channeled my energy in the right arm, keeping my hand closed into a fist. As I gathered energy into my fist, I pictured a targeting icon in front of me and "locked-on" several places on the tree. One, two, three… eight will do.

Then, I raised my hand and flung the energy as hard as I could. Eight lasers, no larger than my thumb soared through the air and impacted against the tree, blowing it part seconds later.

Thank you, Jehuty.

"Pretty neat for such a dull looking attack." Suika said before drinking.

"Sorry, but I'm placing priority on actually hitting my opponent rather than a light show. Besides if I want to show off, I'll use a Spell Card."

"Well, why don't you make one then?"

And that's where the other problem comes in. There are different ways to create a Spell Card, but being able to create it on a whim is not among my options.

I don't have the proper knowledge manipulate my energy, only channel it. And I'm not confident enough to just go into a fight and let loose my inspiration. And the way Reimu describes it sounds like it responds to a person whims.

But what kind of whim?

Is it a want?

A need?

A desire?

All three? Or perhaps none of the above?

I patted my face and closed my eyes. Only one way to find out.

What is it that I want?

What is that I need?

What is it that I desire?

_I want… to protect those I care for. I'm sick of being protected all the time while those I care for get hurt. But to do so, I have to get stronger._

_I need… power. I have to obtain it no matter what. My goal would be meaningless if I don't have the strength to reach it._

_I desire… a shield. Strong, unbreakable. Not just to protect those around me, but also to protect myself… so that I can continue to protect everyone!_

A sudden shout made me open my eyes and I saw why. A single Spell Card is floating in front of me, slowly spinning on the spot and glowing a bright blue light.

"Looks like you did it. Now all you have to do is to give it a name." Reimu said.

Taking the Spell Card in my hands, I looked at the currently blank side and smiled.

Raising the card above my head, I declared its name at the top of my voice.

"Protection: Unyielding Aegis!"

The card then shattered and took began to take form. It now looks like a flower with four petals- Wait, what!

I looked at the "shield" above my head. At first glance, it looks a flower with four petals. But since I was directly under it, I saw that it was made out of smaller Danmaku bullets in the same shape as the "petals". I had to facepalm at what I've done.

Not only did the design not match what I had in mind, but it was from a certain visual novel, which also happened to be one of my personal favorite games.

Good god, I hope Type-Moon doesn't sue me for this.

"So that's your Spell Card?" Reimu asked she came for a closer look.

"Yeah… It's not what I would picture it though." I look at the revolving "flower" above my head. "It's supposed to be a shield."

"A shield? Looks like a flower to me." Gee, rub it in why don't ya.

"If it's a shield, then let's see how sturdy it is!"

What? Suika, what the hell are you doing with that boulder!

"Ei!" Suika swung the boulder… straight at us. Correction; since Reimu just flew away, it's just me.

Oh CRAP!

Almost immediately the shield placed itself in front of me and the boulder shatters upon contact.

Well, I know the protecting part works. But since it's made out of Danmaku bullets, it should have offensive capabilities too.

As if responding to my thoughts, the "shield" broke down and the bullets spread all over the place.

This would be sweet, if I could control WHERE the bullets are heading.

Unlike normal Danmaku bullets, these merely bounce off the surface of whatever they touch, including each other. Also, with exception of each other, whatever the bullets made contact would be damaged. Trees, rocks, the ground, pavement, you name it.

This would be real bad if it got out of control. Now how do you stop this thing?

Once again responding to my thoughts, all the danmaku converge to a single location and formed the shield again.

"Alright! Looks like I got the hang off…" I trailed off.

Remember the list of stuff that was hit by my danmaku? Well, I missed out one item.

The shrine.

The rundown shrine now had several holes all over the place. From the roof and the walls to the ceiling and the floor. The damage I did is way worse that Marisa's.

I. AM. SCREWED.

"Seido~" I froze on the spot and slowly turned my head to the source of killing intent behind me. Reimu smiled at me with her eyes closed… and emitting a rather ominous looking dark aura I am very familiar with.

If there was one thing I've learned from anime about this situation, it is this: Once you are the target of someone's wrath, there is no escape.

Grandpa, looks like I'll be leaving this world before you do.

…..

Nursing the goose egg on my head, I looked at the list of groceries I had to buy while walking to the village.

How am I still alive and mostly intact? Let me explain.

Reimu punished me by landing a severe blow to my head with enough strength that split my skull like an egg, courtesy of her gohei. Or it would have if I wasn't properly trained in raising my endurance from a young age.

Put simply, the reason I'm not lying on the ground in a pool of blood right now is probably because I'm a little~ more durable than most people here. But just a little.

Then again, I think I got off easy from that one.

Anyway, Reimu decided to forgive me on the condition I buy her groceries from the village for her and handed me a bag full of money. She threatened to blow me up if I tried to run away and pointed I couldn't get away since she could fly and I can't.

Again, I've been let off the hook quite easily and I have Osamu to thank for that. But, it would seem that whatever misfortune Osamu had absorbed is now returning to me, so I better watch my step.

So here I am buying the stuff on the list, a very LONG list all the while trying to ignore the strange looks people are giving me.

At first I thought it was just because I am an outsider, until I found even the shopkeepers suspicious of me. They kept telling me not to do anything funny, only to stop when I told them I was shopping for Reimu. I added that I had no intention of causing trouble and even if I did, I'd be blown to bits.

Why is everybody so suspicious of me?

After buying the last of the items on the list, I struggled to see what is in front me. The reason being the two large bags I'm holding that are blocking my vision. Inevitably, I ran into someone by accident.

"Ah!"

Putting the bags to the side, I offered my hand, "Sorry, are you alright?"

The person ran into is (once again) a girl who looks to be 13 or 14 years old. She has purple hair, purple eyes and wears a light pink flower-shaped ornament in her hair which matches flowers on her sleeves. Her outfit has yellow flower-patterned sleeves, a green vest, and a shortened hakama skirt separated by a red, white laced obi.

"Oh! Err, yes. Thank you." She gratefully took my hand and got back on her feet, brushing the dust off her clothes. Before either of us could say anything however, another voice is heard.

"Akyuu-sama! Look out!"

Before I could turn to the source, I was hit at the side of my face and fell to the ground. What the hell?

Sitting upright, I saw that the culprit is another girl. This time she has long, brown hair tied in twin tails with a bell on each side. She is wearing a short kimono with flower patterns… and an apron. A waitress?

"Akyuu-sama, are you alright! Did he hurt you?"

"Ayaka-san! I'm alright, but you didn't have to hit him!"

"I just ran into her by accident, so she's actually fine." Bang! Ow! Again with the head! What is her fist made of?

Ayaka glared at me with her hands on her hips, "Shut up! I'm not talking to you, you pervert!"

What the hell! We only just met and I'm registered as a pervert already?

"Ayaka! He was just helping me up!"

"Be careful, Akyuu-sama. For all we know, he could have sneaked a few "cheap thrills" when he did that!"

…

Oh, that is IT!

"Are you MENTAL?" I shouted while getting back on my feet.

"I said SHUT UP!" Ayaka swung her fist again, only for me to block it. High kick to the chin, dodge. Palm strike to the chest, block. Knee strike meets elbow strike.

Two punches to the head plus an uppercut, dodged. Kick to the stomach, intercept. Roundhouse kick, duck. I can do this all day.

So this is what it feels like to be in control, to be able to read your opponent's move with ease. Of course that only applies if my opponent is human.

The waitress looked dumbfounded that she no longer could land a blow, "What is this?"

I grinned at her, "This is called defence, waitress. And this is offense!"

BANG! Ouch! Okay… I think I did that headbutt a little harder than I wanted to.

And now for some reason, my brain had registered this into an anime scene. That Ayaka girl is now lying on the floor with bandages on her forehead and swirls in her eyes.

"What is going on here?"

The crowd that had gathered made way for a young woman to come our way. She has brown eyes and long silver hair with blue highlights and wears a hat that looks like some kind of building with a red ribbon on top and glyphs inscribed along its side. Her dress is dark blue with white short sleeves, and a red ribbon is tied to the bottom of the collar.

Akyuu looked at the woman in surprise, "Keine sensei!"

Keine sensei? Didn't Reimu mention a Keine Kamishi.. Kamira.. Kamiwa? Her surname is pretty long… But anyway, Reimu did mention a Keine who lives here when I asked if there were any Danmaku users living nearby.

"Akyuu-san! Why is Ayaka-san doing on the ground?"

Akyuu glanced at me, "Well… she-"

"She attacked me for no good reason." I deadpanned. Sorry, Akyuu-san. But this girl has drained the last reserves of my patience.

"No, I didn't!" Whoa, that was quick. "He was going to try and grope Akyuu-san!"

Keine casted a suspicious glance at me, "Is this true?"

I stared at Ayaka for a moment and face-palmed myself as hard as I could.

"Girl, you really are mental…" I groaned out loud.

"What! How dare you-"

I roared at the top of my voice, pointing at Akyuu "YOU'RE ACCUSING ME OF GROPING HER-" I pointed at the sky, "IN BROAD DAYLIGHT-" I pointed at the ground, "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VILLAGE-" I pointed at the crowd, "IN FRONT OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE? YES, I'M ACCUSING **YOU** OF BEING MENTAL! SO HAVE AT THEE!"

Silence then took place. If there was a crow cawing above our heads, it certainly would complete the scene here.

Keine then cleared her throat, "Alright, let's talk about this…err…"

"Seido."

"Seido-san, what were you doing before all of this happened?"

I scratched my head, "Helping Akyuu stand up after I bumped into her?"

Asaka shouted, "Before that!"

I pointed at the bag of groceries, "Shopping for Reimu."

Keine raised an eyebrow, "Explain."

I groaned again… This is going to take a while.

…..

And done!

So yeah, for those of you familiar with Fate Stay Night, the shield's design is from Heaven's Feel with some tweaks in it.

Now allow me to introduce Asaka, one of the servants of Hieda no Akyuu. I didn't know that she had servants to begin with, so I was surprised to find out about this info. Their relationship is akin to overprotective servant and humble master sort of thing.

I'm sure it's pretty obvious who her Shi Fu is, but go ahead and take a guess.

Read and review, please and thank you.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story except for Seido, Ayaka and any OCs that WILL be added into the story. All Touhou characters and the land of Gensokyo are property of Team Shanghai Alice/ZUN.

I'm not sure whether this disclaimer is necessary, but I'd rather use up space than have my story taken down.

**Chapter 5: Lessons on "How to Spark"**

After explaining my current predicament while barring the real reason I'm here, Keine, Akyuu and Asaka followed me back to the shrine. But not before Akyuu apologized for causing trouble and Keine "convincing" Ayaka to apologize for hitting me and jumping to conclusions. Teacher's got one heck of a headbutt.

I'm not sure that I made right decision by telling them I'm learning Danmaku. Keine seem worried, Akyuu merely said that it was my decision and Ayaka… well, she didn't quite believe me. She kept demanding proof and only shut up once I fired a few shots into the air. While I was grateful for the silence, it didn't last for long.

Along the way, Ayaka once again demanded that I tell her whether I had any martial arts training. When I confirmed it, she explained that she was taught martial arts by a strong fighter who lived near the village. Her "shi-fu" also taught her various forms of martial arts, including the use of ki, though the ki part is still on-going.

And… thanks to my brain, I pictured her Shi-Fu as Master Roshi and Ayaka as Goku. I need to cut down on watching anime for a while.

"I guess I was wrong, my shi-fu says anyone who trains diligently in Martial Arts can never be bad person! Sorry for attacking you!" Asaka said with her head down.

Since when do Martial Arts have to do with one's morals? I mean look at Roshi!

"By the way, is your Shi-Fu a human?" I asked.

Ayaka puffed out her chest, "Nope! My Shi-Fu's a yokai! And a dragon at that!"

"Oh."

…

What?

What?

WHAAAT?

A dragon yokai? As in big with long serpent-like body, large horns and breathing fire from the mouth? So instead of Roshi, Ayaka got Shenron himself to train her? Okay, now that doesn't even make any sense!

Damn you, Dragon Ball! Stop messing with my head!

Must... change... subject, "So... why did you attack me and call me a pervert all of a sudden?"

Ayaka scratched her head, "Oh! Yeah... well..." She turned to Keine and Akyuu, who looked somewhat uncomfortable with what I'm asking.

"It's cool, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know why."

It was Keine who spoke, "Well... alright. You see the last batch of outsiders who came here weren't as... polite as you are."

"She means they are downright lecherous perverts." Ayaka deadpanned.

"A-Ayaka!"

"But Akyuu-sama, it's true!"

I got a feeling I won't like what I'm about to here but...

"What happened?"

Ayaka crossed her arms, looking indignant at the memory"Well, these men went to several places in Gensokyo and went harassing women. Commenting about their breasts, touching their butts, flirting with-"

"STOP! Okay, I get the idea! So what happened after that?"

"Well, the thing is, and get this." Ayaka grinned, "They not only ended making most of the major population of Gensokyo their enemies-"

"Stop for a moment. You mean they even sexually-harrased female yokai?"

Ayaka nodded and I face-palmed.

The servant continued, "They even pissed off some of the most powerful people in Gensokyo!"

I glanced at Keine, who looked away trying to hide the flush on the face.

Godammit, their level of stupidity and perversity knows no bounds.

I gotta keep them credit though, they got balls.

If those poor bastards still have them that is...

"But every time someone wants to teach them a lesson, they'd somehow slip away without anyone noticing! So every woman in Gensokyo, be they human or yokai banded together to hunt them down!"

... Well, they DID brought it upon themselves.

"When they managed to find those outsiders, they tied them up and inflicted the most painful, horrifying, ball-busting punishment they could ever think of. Apparently it was so horrible that it is said even the Celestials in Heaven could hear their screams!"

... Damn. Just Damn.

"And then Yukari showed up, and personally kicked them out of Gensokyo!"

... I have nothing say now.

"And that's how the incident known as "The History Nobody Wants to Remember" came to an end!"

Face palm. As ridiculous as the title sounds, I admit it fits perfectly.

And Ayaka? You were a bit TOO enthusiastic about re-telling this unwanted history.

"Now I know why everyone was so suspicious of me..."I groaned weakly.

Ayaka rubbed her head, "Yeah, but it's wrong of me to just attack you like that without confirming your intentions."

I shook my head, "Nah, it's cool. If it happened to me and I was female, I'd be suspicious of every male outsider too."

Ayaka nodded, "Yeah, but since you're male, you're in for some trouble while you're here. And there's no way to avoid it too."

Bang! Keine just Ayaka with karate chop to the head.

"Ayaka, there was no need for you to say such things!"

I smiled weakly, "It's the truth though... Sucks to be me, huh?"

Sucks to be me indeed.

... And thankfully, we decided to chat about minor things while walking to the shrine.

…

"Good afternoon. It has been a while, Reimu-san" Akyuu bowed her head.

"Oh, Akyuu-san! Keine sensei too! And you are?" Reimu glanced at Ayaka.

"This is Ayaka, she is one of my servants. Ayaka, this is Reimu Hakurei."

"Nice to meet you, Hakurei-sama." Ayaka bowed down respectfully.

"Hey, Reimu. Where do you want me to put these groceries?"

"You can put it in the kitchen- Hey, what happened to your face?"

Oh yeah, the part where Ayaka hit me.

"Oh nothing, I just had an accident that's all." I said casually before entering the kitchen.

After placing the groceries and returning to the living room with a tray and a tea set, I noticed that a certain oni was missing.

"Where's Suika?" I asked Reimu as set the tray on the table. I poured some tea into a cup and offered her some, "Tea?"

"Thanks. I think she said something about going to meet Yuugi."

There was a slight pause as I offered some tea to our guests.

"And this Yuugi is…?"

"Oh right, she's an oni just like Suika."

Another oni, huh? Come to think of it…

"I noticed that there was a lack of oni in town. Where are they anyway?"

Keine answered, "Underground. With the exception of Suika, most oni have made their home there."

"How come?"

"Well, it is said that many years ago, whenever an oni found a human they like, it would tempt that human into challenging them in any way they desired. This ranged from a simple fist fight to a drinking contest. And if the human were to lose, he or she would be abducted."

"Wait a minute-" I interrupted, "That's hardly what you can call fair! The oni are far superior to humans and can easily outclass any physical contest!"

Keine nodded her head, "Which is why humans then resorted to underhanded tactics in order to beat the oni. Needless to say, the oni did not take this well. Tired of being tricked and killed all the time, the oni swore off humans forever and left for a place beyond human reach, which would be the underground."

Heh, I guess the oni couldn't stand being beaten at their own game, or games in this matter. Then again, how stupid can one be to challenge an oni?

…

My kind of stupidity, right.

But with the Spell Card system, I can challenge the oni to a fair fight. No underhanded tricks, no unfair advantages. Just us, our Spell Cards and our drive to win!

But that's~ much too early as I am now.

As soon as I have a few more Spell Cards, I'd like to see how long I can at last against Suika or perhaps this Yuugi person.

"Hey Reimu! What are you doing ze?"

Marisa? Did she come to return my charm already? Or~ it's her daily routine to visit.

I called out, "Hey Marisa! Did you bring back my charm?"

"Oh! Err… I forgot." Marisa stuck her tongue sheepishly while scratching the back of her hat.

Yup, definitely the latter.

"Hello, Akyuu-chan! Hello, Keine-sensei! Who are you ze?"

Both Akyuu and Keine greeted the witch while Ayaka introduced herself.

Marisa then turned to me, "By the way, did you start training?"

"Yup!" I took out my Spell Card, "I even managed to create a Spell Card!"

"Already? That was fast. But why only one?"

I thought about it for a moment, "I guess because I don't have clear image on what type of Spell Card I want?"

Marisa grinned, "I don't get what you said, but I know what Spell Card you need!"

I raised an eyebrow, "You do?"

"Of course ze! It needs to be flashy! It ain't magic if it ain't flashy. Danmaku's all about firepower."

… While she does have a point, I doubt having firepower will mean anything if you can't hit your enemy with it. Then again, I only have a defensive Spell Card so an offensive one is just what I need.

"Say Marisa. Can you show me that Master Spark of yours again?"

"Sure. Are you going to copy it?"

I laughed, "I really doubt I could do that. Besides, I'd be ripping off you if I copied it."

She shrugged, "I don't mind. I copied the Master Spark anyway."

…

Wait, what?

"You copied the Master Spark?" I parroted.

"Yeah, I saw it once and thought it was pretty cool. So I copied it ze!" Marisa grinned at the memory.

"You saw it ONCE, decided to copy it and did it PERFECTLY?"

Marisa nodded her head as if it was obvious. "I really had to work to get it right though."

I am dumbfounded. Completely and utterly dumbfounded.

Ordinary Magician my ass, this girl is a genius!

"Okay! One Master Spark, coming right up!" Marisa stretched her hands and reached into her hat, pulling the same box she used to fire the laser yesterday.

Now that I can take a closer look, I noticed that the box has the shape of an octagonal block, made of wood, with the eight trigrams printed in a circle on its front.

If it wasn't for the fact that I saw her do it yesterday, I would have never believed that shot a giant laser using this little do-hicky.

"What is this thing?" I nodded at the box.

"This is my mini-Hakkero!" Marisa held it up proudly.

Well, I can see your quite fond of- Wait, this is a furnace?

"This is a furnace? This little dinky thing is a furnace?" I voiced out my thoughts as I pointed at the box.

**Bang!**

And I just got smacked on the head with a broom, wonderful. Why is it always with the head?

"Hey, don't insult my mini-Hakerro! This is my most treasured possession ze!"

I rubbed my head, "I wasn't insulting it. I just couldn't believe that-" I paused for moment, "Say Marisa? How big is the actual Hakkero compared to this mini version?"

"About 10 times as big."

T-Ten times? With that kind of firepower, you could blow any part of Gensokyo to kingdom come!

How? What?

I don't get-

_Caution!_

_System Failure Imminent._

_Commencing Emergency Shutdown In…_

_3…_

_2…_

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

_Emergency Shutdown Aborted._

Note to self:  
Make sure to absolutely be mentally prepared lest you hear something that can potentially fry your brains.

And I am not going to miss a Master Spark show just because my brain gave out on me.

Damn it Gensokyo, at this rate you'll critically overload my cranium. I can't digest all of this information at once!

"Why did you hit your head against that post?" Marisa asked.

"I think I just realized why Yukari wanted to keep this place hidden from the outside world. I know a whole lot of people who are willing to kill or even sell their souls to get their hands on one of these." I groaned, one hand pointing at the mini-Hakkero and other rubbing my aching forehead.

How many more injuries must my skull endure?

"But enough about that, show me your Spark!"

"You got it ze!" Marisa placed her broom at the side and took out a Spell Card.

"Love Sign: Master Spark!" Aiming her Hakkero in the air, she fired off the rainbow-coloured laser into the sky. I noticed that there are large circles that surround the laser as well.

Okay… now let's try it out.

Placing both hands together, I conjured a large ball of my energy. For the heck of it, I even imitated the Kamehameha stance.

"Love Sign: Master-Graah!" Almost immediately, the ball dissipated into sparks and burned my hands. Fortunately, they are minor burns.

"That's too bad. I almost thought you had it." Marisa sighed. She looks pretty disappointed.

I think the problem here is what I associate the word "Spark" with, like lightning, thunder and electricity. Marisa's Spark is light… A rainbow-coloured light.

"Maybe you could teach me how to Spark?" I suggested.

Marisa blankly looked at me for a moment and then grinned, "Sure! But in return… I get to borrow your charm for another day!"

I sighed. Should have seen this coming.

"Alright, Marisa-sensei."

As expected, the witch giggled when I addressed her that way, "Very good! So… do you want the short and simple version or the long and complicated one?"

Face palm. You gotta to be kidding me!

"Give me the short version, please." I groaned

"Okay! There are 4 easy steps ze! First step: you have to concentrate your mind."

I nodded.

"Second step: tenderly say the spell to your mini-Hakkero."

"But Seido doesn't have a mini-Hakkero!' Reimu called out. Huh, I didn't think you'd be interested in- Wait, all of you are watching? Even Akyuu-san?

"Well… say it to your hands then!"

That makes no sense.

"Third step: Aim at the person you really dislike!"

I nod- Wait, what is that suppose to mean?

Marisa grinned "And finally, Step Four: Unleash your annihilation beam of love!"

Queue face plant to the ground. And by sounds of things, I wasn't the only one.

"What kind of half-assed lesson is that?" Reimu shouted.

Marisa pouted, "What? Seido's the one who asked for the short and simple lesson!"

I groaned, it seems that the Master Spark may be one spell I won't be learning anytime soon. And no offence, Marisa. But you failed as a teacher.

"Look, how about you just give me a tour of Gensokyo on your broom instead?"

Marisa glanced at me, "Are you sure?"

"VERY SURE." And since I am a simple person, the long explanation won't do me any good.

She shrugged, "If you say so." Raising one hand, her broom immediately flew into her grasp.

I soon noticed that Keine was walking towards us.

"Be careful! I know that you've learned how to use Danmaku, but don't let it cloud your judgement. Run way if you meet any yokai!" Keine said.

"Or… I can let Marisa blast them for me." I grinned as Marisa gave me a thumbs up.

The teacher sighed, "Children these days. Do what you will, just make sure to come back safely."

"It's cool, Keine. I have no intention on finding trouble if I can help it. It's a different story if trouble finds me though." I mounted on the broom.

"We are clear for lift-off!" I declared.

"Then hang on tight!" Marisa kicked off the ground and we shot off into the air. Waving goodbye, I couldn't resist shouting at the top of my voice.

"WOOOO HOOOOO!"

…..

"I'm surprised you're actually enjoying yourself ze. Most outsiders said they would rather take their chances with the yokai than ride with me."

"Meh, they don't know what they're missing. Besides, I'm too busy enjoying the view to worry about anything else." I said while looking at the village.

"You're pretty weird."

"Oh, so I'm the weird one? You're a witch that can shoot large lasers from a furnace the size of your palm, go around hunting yokai and have a monster of a shrine maiden as your friend and you're calling **me **weird?"

"Yes, I am ze."

I rolled my eyes, "Gee, thanks."

Looking around, I noticed that we are near the lake with the weird mist over it. It's already noon, but the mist isn't getting any lighter. And since we are at a higher angle, I noticed that there is a mansion right at the edge of the lake, partly hidden by the surrounding forest and the mist from the lake.

"Hey Marisa, what's that mansion over there?" I pointed.

Marisa followed my finger, "Oh, that's the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

I frowned at the name. With the exception of the shape-shifters, I don't think any of the yokai I know actually fits the name. Unless it's just another fancy title.

"So who owns the place?"

"Remilia Scarlet. She's a powerful vampire even though she looks and acts like a brat ze."

Oh, so that's why…

…

"Wait!" I shouted, causing Marisa to brake in the air.

"You scared me!" the witch glared at me.

"I'm sorry, but I have to make sure. When you say "vampire", do you mean the blood-sucking, bat-transforming, asleep-by-day and wake-by-night sort of vampire?"

"I don't know about the "bat-transforming" part but yeah, that's what I meant ze. Are there different types of vampires?"

Unfortunately, I was too busy freaking out to answer.

Vampires? Here?

That makes no sense! There aren't even any stories about vampires in Japan's mythology!

What the he-

WHOOSH!

And my thoughts are interrupted as Marisa started flying all over the place. I was just about to ask what she was doing, when Danmaku bullet flew past my head.

Looking at for the culprit, I noticed three figures with transparent wings, flying nearby.

… NO. WAY.

"Tsk, we got company." Marisa brought out her mini-Hakkero.

"Err… Marisa, are those… what I think they are?"

Marisa nodded her head, "Fairies."

…..

And done!

In the next chapter, Seido will experience his first Danmaku fight, in the sky alongside Marisa, the ordinary witch.

Lesson's on "How To Spark" is brought to you by Youtuber MabinogiReina.

Read and review, please and thank you.


	7. Chapter 6

Okay, I've been wondering about this for a while now.

Is the story a little boring since it's only from Seido's point of view?

After posting the last chapter, I read through all of them and found them… somewhat lacking. I've already planned some fun stuff, but that's gonna be a few chapters before then.

So starting from this chapter onward, I'm gonna add some different points of view when they are necessary.

Please let me know this works because I appreciate any support and advice given.

…..

**Chapter 6: Black Wings Take Flight**

Fairy.

If someone mentions that word to you, what is the first image that comes across your mind?

Small, human-like in appearance, dragonfly-like wings, high-pitched voices and has magical powers. Yup, I guess that about sums it up.

Honestly, the first thing that comes into my mind would be Fairy Tail. An awesome fantasy/adventure/comedy anime/manga series.

But let's get back on topic and I'll be honest, I don't know much about fairies. My specialty is Japanese mythology and fairies do not fall into that category. The only ideas I can get about them are from anime and manga with a fantasy setting and that only applies to the Outside World. Gensokyo's fairies don't count.

But there is one thing I am 100% sure about the ones here and it is this:

They are major pain in the ass.

…..

"Hang on, Seido! I'm gonna kick it up a notch!" Marisa shouted amidst the curtains of danmaku.

"Hang on to WHAT? Whoa!" My hands started to slip of the broom, so I quickly wrapped my arms around something to keep myself from falling.

And that something is Marisa.

"Hey!"

"Sorry! But right now, fear of falling and going splat against the ground is overriding chivalry!"

I looked at our perpetrators, a whole bunch of fairies that came out of nowhere and started shooting at us like crazy.

First vampires, now fairies. What's next, werewolves?

"Does this kind of thing always happen?"

"Yeah… pretty much."

You gotta be kidding me…

"Still, they're acting a lot more aggressive than usual… I wonder why?" Marisa wondered out loud while shooting down a few fairies.

I pretty much panic when they exploded to dust. "Hey, stop! You're killing them!"

"Don't worry, they'll just come back to life afterwards ze."

…

But how does that even-

You know what? Forget it, I'm not gonna bother this time.

One of the larger fairies, a greater fairy by the looks of it soon shouted, "Why are you protecting that outsider, black white?"

Huh, how did they know- Oh right, my clothes.

Marisa shouted back, "Why not? He is my friend ze!"

"Have you already forgotten what the last three outsiders that came here did?"

Marisa visibly cringed at this. Dude, seriously? It was called "The History Nobody Wants to Remember" for a reason, you know.

"But Seido's nothing like that ze!"

The greater fairy snorted and crossed her arms, "Says the witch who just got cuddled by the outsider! I saw how he wrapped his arms around you! Like the disgusting pervert he is!"

…

Damn, are you saying those guys got their hands on you girls too?

So that means they're not just perverts, they're lolicons too.

Perfect, just frigging perfect…

"And yet you still defend him! Maybe you enjoy the touch of his filthy hands all over you! Maybe you are just as perverted as he is!

…

That was NOT necessary you damn-

…Stay calm, stay calm.

Don't let her get to you, Seido.

Don't cave in…

Hey, I think I just saw one of Marisa's eyes twitch!

"Well it doesn't matter anyway! We're going to put him down for good! Like the disgusting perverted, wild animal he is before he goes around harassing the rest of the Gensokyo!"

…

And I caved.

…..

_Alert!_

_Anger gauge has reached critical levels._

_Emergency routine activated._

_Searching…_

_Program Found._

_Execute Program "Lunatic Retribution"?_

_Yes No_

_Warning!_

_Program will override all other functions and will not be disabled until core function has been completed._

_Do you wish to continue?_

_Yes No_

_Executing Program… Please stand by._

_10%..._

_25%..._

_55%..._

_90%..._

_100%_

_Program execution complete._

_Initializing Core function in…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

_Lunatic Retribution has been fully integrated._

_Objective: Destroy all assholes in sight until Anger and/or Stamina has been completely depleted._

_Have a nice day._

…..

"You wanna talk shit about us? Then say to my FACE!" I shouted as I discharged several Jehuty lasers at the surrounding fairies and obliterated them.

"Look you little mosquito. I don't care who you are, I don't care what you think about me and I don't give a damn about your reason for this! You made one very serious mistake… and I quote from one of my favourite games…"

I pointed and addressed to ALL the fairies, "You insignificant specks… got on my wrong damn side!"

…

I don't remember how long we have fighting these things, but I inflicting a lot of pain on those fairies.

Blowing them up, kicking them in the face, I even managed to grab one of them by the head and threw it to a cluster of them grouped together!

Bowling ball strike, Jehuty Style!

I even used Unyielding Aegis. As a shield, it didn't help since we were being shot at from all sides, but its second feature came in handy. The way the bullets bounce off after hitting a fairy kinda reminds me of Brick Breaker. It was fun while it lasted.

And it seems Marisa is enjoying herself just as much! She's been blasting them with stars non-stop, especially at that greater fairy who called her a pervert.

"Hey, Marisa! It looks like you're having trouble with that one. Need help?"

"No. That fairy is mine; you can have the rest ze!" Marisa huffed before continuing to hunt down to her down.

The Spark Queen has spoken!

But it's getting repetitive shooting them down like this, and I just used up my only Spell Card. Hmm… if only I could hit everything around me, like one of those big-ass airships or alien bosses in my games…

Hey, what do you know? Inspiration can come in the heat of battle! But, I doubt this slaughter actually counts, hehe.

Snapping my fingers, a Spell Card formed at the palm of my hand. Grinning, I raised it up and shouted, "Assault Sign: Reverse Vortex Barrage!"

The Card broke and turned into a torrential vortex, only instead of sucking stuff in, it is spitting stuff out. Imagine me as the center of whirlpool in the sea and the danmaku I'm firing as the waves, only the bullets are going out of the centre instead of coming in, and you get the picture.

As soon as they saw this, pretty much every fairy in the area has scattered.

"HAHAHAHA! That's right! Flee, flee you insects! Flee as you cower before my SUPERIOR FIREPOWER!"

Marisa glanced at me, "Err, Seido. Are you okay?"

"Can't talk, enjoying fairy massacre."

Soon the vortex closed up, leaving me, Marisa and quite a bunch of fairies though not as many as earlier.

And… I'm out of steam.

…..

_Anger gauge has been completely depleted._

_Objective accomplished._

_Core Function shutting down…_

_Ending Program…_

_Lunatic Retribution has been successfully removed_

_Storing Program in…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

_Program has been successfully stored._

_Re-initializing all key functions…._

_Re-initialization Complete._

_Have a nice day._

….

As the haze cleared from my head, I shook it a few times before focusing on the situation at hand. Let's see…

1. The fairies saw me with Marisa and attacked.  
2. They haven't gotten over the "incident".  
3. One of them said something she shouldn't have and made me go into "lunatic mode"  
4. Most of the fairies are gone with the exception of those in front of us.

And… I got myself a new Spell Card. While the results are sort of positive, I hoped that this wouldn't happen again. I sure hoped that my future meetings with the other citizens of Gensokyo will be less hostile.

"So… are you all ready to get Sparked? Hehehe…" Marisa cackled evilly as she tossed her mini-Hakkero up and down in her hand while the fairies cowered in terror.

I pretty much had to remind myself that Marisa** is** a witch, so getting like this must be pretty common for her.

Shrugging, I glanced at fairies and… Huh? Why is one of them looking at me? And grinning?

… There's somebody behind me, isn't there?

Turning my head, I looked over my shoulder and… Holy crap!

"Marisa, behind us!" I shouted while shielding the witch with my body.

**Bang!**

And I am hit in the back by one of the many danmaku bullets flying our way.

Remember that one fairy who talked to us? Who insulted us and blew my fuse? The one that Marisa wanted to blow up?

Well, she is right behind us.

Now I'm not sure how she managed to avoid Marisa **and** my Spell Card, but judging by how she is covered in leaves and all, I'm guessing she in the trees of the forest nearby.

And things just got worse in more ways than one.

1, I've never been hit with Danmaku since I got here, so the impact I received had stunned me.  
2, in my haste to protect Marisa, I had forgotten that I am sitting on a broom, so the impact made also made I lost my balance and fall off.  
3, I'm gonna be landing on solid ground and at this height I will definitely die. No trees to slow me down.  
And finally 4, Marisa is currently surrounded by the rest of the fairies, so being rescued is not an option.

And so here I am, screaming at the top of my voice, dropping from god knows how high straight to the ground below for a blood-splattering finish.

Damn it! I didn't come all this way just to die like this!

That day… I had promised myself… promised **him**, that I will become someone who can protect those who I hold dear…

I don't want to die!

I can't die here!

I won't die here!

While trying to find some way to save myself, my attention is drawn to a single movement as something just flew past me.

A black bird… No, a crow.

…

I want to live.

I need to fly.

I desire…

WINGS.

…..

**Marisa's point of view**

"Seido!" I screamed at the top of my voice as my friend fell below.

I have no idea what just happened! One moment he was shouting at me, the next he just fell off the broom! And that made me drop my mini-Hakkero too! I'll pick it up later!

"Hang in there, I'm coming to-" I stopped as someone blocked my way. It was that same fairy that insulted me and Seido!

"Damn it, out of the way!" I try to pass her but she keeps blocking me.

"Not so fast! I'm gonna get revenge on you for killing my sisters!"

"Your sisters won't stay dead, they'll just come back to life later ze! I have to save Seido!"

The fairy raised an eyebrow, "Why? He can fly right? After all he can shoot danmaku and use Spell Cards."

"BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW! HE ONLY LEARNED HOW TO USE DANMAKU!"

The fairy's eyes widened, "Seriously? Uh oh, we better-"

However, my reverie was cut short when one of the other fairies screamed and pointed at something.

Out of curiosity, I followed where she was pointing and realized why she looked so shocked.

A person with a pair of black wings can be seen gliding across the ground before disappearing into the mist above the lake nearby. Almost immediately, a strong gust emerged and blew most of the mist away… along several fairies here.

With the mist almost completely gone, I looked at the person hovering over the lake and my eyes widened with surprise.

It was Seido.

And… he's flying.

"I-I thought you said that he didn't know how to fly."

"I-I thought so too ze…"

…..

**Seido's point of view**

Err… wha? Where am I? What happened?

Oh yeah, I was dropping down to my death when…

Wait a minute, am I floating in the air?

So… I'm dead now? Damn, that sucks…

Marisa! Where is she? Is she alright!

"Seido!"

I looked at the witch coming towards me and shouted in surprise, "Marisa, you're alright!"

"Of course, I am! More importantly, why didn't you tell me you already learned how to fly?"

Huh? What does she mean by that?

"But, I don't know how to fly. That's why I asked you to let me ride on your broom."

Marisa merely stared at me with a questioning look on her face. I don't why she's doing that, but it's making me uncomfortable.

I'll just look down and-

…

What the heck? Where did the ground go? When did I move above the lake?

And my jaw dropped as I look into my reflection, everything as it should be with the exception of two black objects behind me…

No way…

I have wings… I have frigging WINGS!

The wings on my back are soaring wings with deep slots at the end of each wing. They are also a bit longer than my arms, but only by a few inches. But above all else, they are black, just like a crow.

Just like that crow I saw as I fell.

"So… when did you grow wings?" Marisa circled around me, eyeing the new additions.

"Just now, I guess. And, I don't think I grew these wings, I think I made them."

Well, this had to be true. The wings didn't feel like a part of my body like my arms and legs do even if I can move them at will. It feels more like… something you wear, like clothing, only the kind you can move with your mind. And looking at them more closely, I realized that the wings are made of energy, like my Danmaku.

But… why are they black? My energy is a silver-blue color… Maybe it had to do with how I pictured the crow when I wanted wings?

However, I was snapped out of my thoughts by the greater fairy, "Hey, outsider! Your name is Seido, right?"

Okay… so you shot us, insulted us, nearly KILLED ME, and now you ask for my name? I really hope this doesn't happen very often…

"Yes… it is. So what do you want? Here to finish the job?"

"H-Hey! It's not like I was trying to kill you! I thought you can fly since you can shoot danmaku!"

"Well, yeah. Just be glad I was able to learn how at the last moment, otherwise I would have haunted your ass for the rest for your life!"

Cringing slightly, she quickly collected herself, "A-Anyway, that doesn't matter since you're okay, right? By the way, you dropped this." She then tossed something and I instinctively caught it.

Hey, this is Marisa's mini-Hakkero!

"So you picked it up for me? Thanks ze!" Marisa grinned.

"I don't feel like fighting anymore, so I'll let you two go for now!" the fairy then turned to leave…

"Hold it."

Both the fairy and Marisa looked at me.

While it is fine for Marisa and that fairy, it is NOT fine for me. True, I gained both a new Spell Card and the ability to fly. BUT, I'm still sore about what she said about me. Sure, she had a good reason to be suspicious, but that hardly justifies what she did!

I looked at the mini-Hakkero and had an idea... a pretty wicked idea.

Hey! I may be a nice guy, but I'm not **that** nice.

Tossing the mini-Hakkero up and down while looking at the greater fairy, I casually said to Marisa, "Say Marisa. Do you remember the 4 steps in your "lesson" back in the shrine?"

Marisa raised an eyebrow, "Yeah… why?"

"Would you mind telling me again? I think I can get it right this time."

Marisa looked at me, the mini-Hakkero in my hand and the fairy, then grinned in understanding, "Oh~ Okay! Now, the first step is to concentrate your mind."

The greater fairy looked at us, "What are you two doing?"

"Oh, you'll see~" I waved my free hand.

"Second step, you tenderly say your spell to your mini-Hakkero ze."

I thought about it for a moment, and whispered the name I decided for my new Spell Card to the mini-Hakkero. The box then started to glow with energy.

"Third step: You point it to someone you really dislike."

I smirked and pointed it… straight at the greater fairy, who was starting to understand what we were doing.

"H-Hey, wait a minute!" She held up her hands defensively, "Let's talk about this!"

"And finally the fourth step…"

I grinned and said in sync with Marisa.

"_Unleash your annihilation beam of love!"_

The beam that erupted from the mini-Hakkero wasn't as large as Marisa's, but it sure did pack a punch. I had to use both hands to withstand the recoil.

Anyway, it did the job. The greater fairy was instantly vaporized and the rest of the fairies fled the scene. I think I'll apologize when she comes back to life, if she'll let me that is.

Marisa slapped me in the back, "Nice job! That was definitely a Spark ze!"

I grinned and brought up my latest Spell Card, Justice Sign: Sonic Spark.

"Justice?" Marisa looked at me quizzically, "Why Justice?"

"It's the only thing I can think of that goes well with Love. At least it's better than Hate, right? By the way, I believe you want this back."

"Thanks." Marisa took back her mini-Hakkero before chuckled heartily, "Love & Justice, eh? Sounds kinda cool ze!"

I smiled as I pocketed the Spell Card before realizing something important. "Hey, Marisa…"

"Yeah?"

"How do I fly?"

…

It took me a while but I pretty much got the hang of it, sort of. Marisa told me that flying is the same as walking and running. Just picture yourself going in a certain direction and you'll go there. It's still hard to believe I am actually flying with these fake wings.

Then again, trying to imagine myself flying without them is even harder. No matter how much I try to convince myself it won't happen, my imagination about flying without wings… always ends with me crashing face first into the ground.

I guess the black wings symbolize how I believed nothing can fly without wings. Pretty ironic considering I saw Reimu flying yesterday and Marisa is flying beside me with her broomstick.

"Oh, I have to go now!" Marisa said suddenly.

I turned towards her, "How come?"

"I have some business to take care of ze. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"I think so. Don't worry, I can take care! See you around, Marisa!

"Bye!" Marisa took off on her broom and headed to the mansion in the middle of the lake. Huh, is she friends with the vampire who lives there?

Meh, maybe I'll I ask her to take me along next time… If I can embrace the fact I'll be meeting a living bloodsucker in the flesh by then.

But for now, I'm going to see how well to these wings work!

Time to take it to the skies!

Flapping my black wings, I took off into the sky. Time to see what else this world has in store.

…..

And done!

And here Seido gains wings along with the ability to fly and as well as 2 new Spell Cards.

You know the saying, "Fear gives men wings"? I decided to use it on a more literal term.

Read and review, please and thank you.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: You mistook me for someone else…**

**Above the skies…**

I have to say; for such a special place, Gensokyo is surprisingly small. Its size is roughly that of a small continent, maybe smaller.

But hey, you won't see me complaining.

I wonder where I should visit first.

"Ayayayaya~ who do we have here?"

What the hell?

I quickly shot some danmaku bullets in the direction of the voice, only to find nobody there.

"That wasn't very nice, shooting at someone trying to greet you." This time, it was behind me.

Turning towards the direction of the voice, I found that it was a girl... Okay, I know that majority of the population here are female, but there has to be** some** males here! This getting very awkward for me!

Anyway… the person in front of me has red eyes, semi-long black hair and wears a white blouse with brown leaf-print sides, a black short skirt with brown leaf-print portions, and a Tokin with several white puffs of feathers hanging from it. I also noticed a hauchiwa fan in one of her hands and… is that a camera hanging around her neck?

I countered, "Maybe, but sneaking up on someone like that isn't very nice either."

"I suppose, but I didn't think I'd see anyone flying up here." She frowned for a moment, peering at my face, "You look familiar… have we met before?

I raised an eyebrow, "I don't know, have we?" though I'm pretty sure I've never met her before. Maybe I remind her of someone?

The girl frowned before shrugging, "Maybe not." She then took a picture with her camera, before taking out a notebook and a pencil.

"So tell me young man, what's a fellow Crow Tengu like yourself doing out here, far away from the Tengu Village?"

… Excuse me? Did she just call me a...

"I beg your pardon?" I asked.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me." The girl scoffs, "If you weren't flying with your wings out in the open, I'd almost mistaken you for an outsider since you're wearing these clothes and all." She pointed for emphasis.

My wings! So that's why she thinks I am a Tengu!

Wait a minute… I thought male Tengu had red faces or long noses? Or is that just something humans made up, just like with the Oni?

"I have to admit, without your wings, you'd look just like an outsider. But given what has happened here before, I'd recommend that you return the village before anyone else sees you."

… So she was involved in **that** incident too? Oh for- Wait a minute…

I circled around her, eyeing her back. She called me a fellow Crow Tengu… yet I don't see any wings on her back!

"Hey, how are you flying without your wings?" I asked.

The tengu paused then winked at me, "When you've been around as long as I have, you come to learn of other ways to fly besides having wings. Also, it makes flying in tight spaces and fighting in Danmaku battles easier."

I see, having wings can definitely be a burden in those situations. Who knew?

Oh yeah… I've been asking all kinds of questions except one, "By the way, who are you?"

I watched as the girl's smirk slowly turned into a frown. Did I offend her?

"You don't know who I am? Me, Aya Shameimaru? The Humble Tengu Newspaper Reporter? Writer of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper?"

Aya Shamei… that's a mouth full.

"Wait a minute, what was that last part? The Bunbunmaru newspaper?"

Aya suddenly looked hopeful, "Yes! Have you read it?"

"Nope, can't say I even heard about it." And now, she's crestfallen. Sorry Aya, but I can't lie just to make you feel better. Besides, I just wanted confirm that you are using a weird name for your newspaper.

And now she's grabbing me by the collar and… Whoa! Why are you shaking me?

"How is it possible that there is a single person in all of Gensokyo who doesn't know my name AND my newspaper? And you are a Crow Tengu! We live in the same village, for crying out loud! What kind of rock have you been living under for all this time?"

… Doesn't take a genius to figure out what I said is a serious blow to her pride. And since she was also involved in **that** incident, I can't tell her that I really am an outsider either. Seriously, one fight is enough as it is.

C'mon Seido! Think of something before she literally shakes your whole head off!

"I-I'm s-s-sorr-r-ry! I-I've bee-en livi-ing a shelt-tered l-life b-bef-fore t-thi-is!"

Well, it is partially true. My family is quite well-off and their source of income comes from the various businesses they do. I would tell you about them if I could, if I could remember what they are that is.

And hey, I'm not exactly lying right? I'm just giving a different answer.

Oh, Aya's stopped! A few more seconds and she would have twisted my neck. Ouch.

… And I don't think she believes me. I should have known that this wouldn't-

"I see… So you're from one of the noble families. Ayayayaya~ No wonder you know nothing about me or my newspaper."

… It worked? Seriously? Are you telling me the nobles don't even read newspapers?

Heck, I didn't even know that there were nobles among the Tengu community!

Aya smirked, "I see~ so you finally got tired of being pampered all the time and decided to run away from home! Am I right?"

… Funny she should mention that. It is true I got tired of being pampered all the time, but I didn't run away. Rather, I had to **beg **my parents to move out of the estate instead.

Now don't misunderstand. I love my grandparents who live there, even the servants feel like family to me. But literally tending to my every whim and getting worried over every little thing that happened to me? I had to get out before I went insane!

And now that I'm old enough to take care of myself, my little bro, Ryuuga is the target of their "affections". I wish him good luck.

"Well, it looks like I hit the nail on that one." Aya grinned while she stares at my face, "But before we continue, I have to ask one question. Do you know a Hatate Himekaidou?"

I shook my head, "Nope, should I?"

The grin on your face tells me you're pleased with my answer.

Better change the subject before she asks something else, "Anyway… why are you flying out here? Hunting for some news?"

Aya's grin disappeared in an instant, "I wish I could. If I wasn't investigating under Chief Tenma's orders…"

"Chief Tenma?" Now Astro Boy is involved in this too?

Aya clapped her hands over her mouth. Looks like I heard something I wasn't supposed to.

"Don't tell anyone I said that!" Aya starts shaking me hard again, "I'll lose my head if this got out or worse, the chief will revoke my reporter's license!"

So this is supposed to be top secret? And you fear losing your job more than losing your head? That's some dedication…

"O-Oka-ay! I-I ge-et i-it! J-Jus-st le-et me-e go-o!"

Geez… If this keeps up, I really will lose my head.

Aya then crossed her arms, looking rather serious, "By the way… did you feel anything weird while you were here?"

"Feel anything weird?" I parroted while gingerly rubbing my neck, "What do you mean?"

Aya hesitated for a moment, probably wondering whether she could tell me or not.

"Well… it's like this. A while ago, Chief Tenma detected some sort of weird energy spike, though it only lasted for a moment. The problem is that the location where the spike transmitted was pretty vague, so even he didn't know where it came from."

Aya then came closer, covering our faces with her fan while whispering, as if afraid that somebody might overhear the next part, "To be honest, if I didn't felt it myself, I would have thought the old man had gone senile."

"You felt it yourself? How would you describe it then?"

Aya placed the tip of her fan on her chin, "Well, it feels as if the beating of my heart became stronger for a moment, like it wants to burst out of my chest."

Wow, that's some energy.

"So did you feel anything like that? Or seen anything that looks like it might be the cause of it?"

I frowned while giving it some serious thought. I don't remember feeling anything like that, unless it happened while I was in lunatic mode.

Then, there's…when I got my wings.

Nah, it couldn't be. Besides, since Marisa and the fairies didn't mention it, I don't see how it could be tied to that.

"Nope, I haven't felt anything like that at all. Can't say I've seen anything that could cause something like that either."

The Crow Tengu sighed, "Well, it was worth a shot. Might as well go back and report to the chief." She paused, "Hey, I never got your name."

You never asked, "Just call me Seido."

"Well Seido, it was nice meeting. And don't worry- "She gave me a wink, "I won't tell anyone in the village that you ran away from home!"

"Err… thanks, I guess."

"See ya! And don't forget to buy the latest issue of Bunbunmaru!"

Waving goodbye, Aya then took off towards the Youkai Mountain.

And… she's gone. Just like that. Damn, she's fast!

Now that I'm alone now, I can…

PANIC!

Why did I just do that?

What kind of situation did I just get myself into?

I may have dodge the bullet by "passing" myself as a Crow Tengu, but there's no doubt Aya will check with the village about me!

And once she finds out that I was never there, she'll come after me for sure!

She'll definitely find out that I'm actually an outsider! And when that happens…

NO! I don't want to think about it!

Oh goddamit! What should I do, what the hell should I do?

GERONIMO!

…

**Hakurei Shrine**

I return to the shrine in rather low spirits. As soon as I touched down, I noticed that my wings dissipated as soon as my feet touch the ground.

Slowly making my way, I noticed that nobody is around, not even Reimu. Must be patrolling the village or something.

Sitting down and laying my head on the table, I soon noticed a handwritten note. It's from Reimu.

…

_Dear Seido,_

_I'm out patrolling Gensokyo, so help yourself to some food if you're hungry. Some yokai are known to be active at this time of day, so don't leave the shrine unless you absolutely have to! Just because you can use Danmaku doesn't mean you can go challenging every yokai you see!_

_Reimu_

…

"Thanks Reimu." I muttered.

I am feeling a little hungry right now, but I'm in no mood to eat.

Setting my head back on the table, I gave out a huge sigh and closed my eyes.

However, I soon opened my eyes again due to a feeling I had and met the gaze of a pair of familiar dark golden eyes.

…

I blink once, the eyes are still there.

…

I blink twice, they are still there.

…

And 3… 2… 1…

"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

***BANG!***

I threw myself backwards and my head collided with the door.

"OW!"

A familiar giggle, "No matter how many times I see that reaction, it never ceases to amuse me."

I roared at the top of my voice, "GODDAMIT YUKARI!"

The few birds who are roosting nearby immediately took off into the sky.

And now I'm glaring at Yukari, who is currently peeking through one of those… gaps with her head upside down. Yeah, let's just call them that.

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm furious with her, I'd be staring at her silly with my mouth open instead.

"My apologies, Seido. But I couldn't resist." Yukari's head disappeared along with first gap before she walked into the room with another gap. "You looked so gloomy when you returned, so I decided to come cheer you up."

If your method of "cheering" people up is by scaring the bejesus out of them, I'd rather get myself into a fight.

"Just leave me alone, Yukari."

"Oh come now, Seido. Don't you trust your Yukari onee-sama?"

I deadpanned, "I would say, yes… But if I did, then I'd be lying."

Yukari pouted, "Come on, Seido. Don't be like your grandfather."

I was about to make another witty comment when my stomach rumbled.

Yukari looked at my stomach and grinned, "I see you haven't eaten yet. How about coming over to my house for lunch?"

I raised an eyebrow. This has to be the first time I have heard Yukari offered something since I got here.

"What's the catch?"

Yukari pouted again, "How rude! You assume I'm offering my hospitality simply because I want something in return? You hurt me greatly, Seido."

I took all of my willpower just keep myself from rolling my eyes.

Oh screw you, Yukari. I ought to just Spark you right here and now!

… And you'd just gap me to your place anyway, where you'd use your own method of retribution to get back at me. Yeah, I know you THAT well.

"Alright Yukari." I sigh in defeat while getting up to stretch myself. "Let's go."

"Fufufu~ I knew you would make the right decision." Yukari then opened a gap and gestured me to follow her.

"Hold on a sec." Looking around, I noticed a pen and a stack papers nearby. Flipping the Reimu's note, I wrote my message on the other side for Reimu.

"Alright, now we can go." Placing both hands inside my pocket, I followed the Yokai of Boundaries through her gap, heading towards her home.

…..

Well, this is unexpected. The home of Yukari Yakumo looks no different than the homes of the Outside World.

Then again, Yukari is the only Youkai I know who has been to the outside world.

A sofa, a cozy chair, a high definition flat screen television, a coffee table… Oh, this is the living room.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Seido. What do you think?"

I answer honestly, "Nice and cozy. Like a home should be"

"I see. Ran, Chen! We have a guest!"

**WHOORP!**

Hmm? That's a familiar sound… "I'm here, Yukari-sama."

Whoa! I turned immediately to face the newcomer.

She has yellow eyes, short blonde hair and she wears a light pink two-tailed hat with many amulets and a blue and light purple dress with a blue print on the front. She also has… nine… fox… tails?

…

NO. F*CKING. WAY.

"This is Ran, my shikigami. Ran, this is Seido, our guest."

A kitsune? A real live kitsune? Is she related to Tamamo-No-Mae or something? And she is working as your shikigami?

…

Oh, boy, I think I unnerved the kit- I mean Ran with my staring. Damn it, Seido… Say something!

"Err, my name's Seido! Nice to meet you!" I nervously bowed. Phew…

"N-No, the pleasure is mine, Seido." Ran returned the bow.

Yukari looked around, "Where is Chen? Isn't she with you?"

Ran looked around her, as though expecting to find this Chen right next to her.

"I told her to come with me just now… OH!"

It was then I saw a cute little face with black cat ears with a gold earring on the left and a green mob cap, peeking from under Ran's skirt. Huh, so this is be Chen… and she's one sly little devil, isn't she?

"Chen! I told you to stop doing that!" Ran said with a furious blush on her face.

The little Nekomata giggled while sticking out her tongue, "Sorry, Ran-sama~" How do I know what Chen is? The twin tails behind her are a dead giveaway. I also noticed that Chen is wearing a red dress with a white bow on the collar, with gold trimming and light pink frills at the bottom and light pink sleeves.

Chen then turned towards me with a puzzled look on her face. She then closed her eyes and… is she sniffing me?

And what happened next was totally unexpected.

"PAPA!" Was the first word Chen cried out before tackling me with a huge glomp. Ouch… And now I'm lying on the floor, with Chen affectionately rubbing her cheek on my chest.

"PAPA… PAPA! I missed you so much!"

This scene would have melted my heart completely, if it wasn't confusing the hell out of me.

"Aw~ this is so sweet. You just became a daddy, Seido~" Not helping, Yukari!

"Err… Chen?" Ran came closer, placing a hand on Chen's shoulder, "Chen, I'm sorry to tell you this, but he's not your Papa. He's human who just came to Gensokyo yesterday." Thank you, Ran. Nice to see you didn't inherit your mistress' habits.

Chen got up and sat on me, looking at Ran in disbelief "What? But he must be Papa! He smells just like him!"

I smell like whom now?

"Hold that thought." I said, gently lifting Chen up and off me. Huh, she's lighter than I expected. I then set her on the ground and looked at her in the eyes.

"Are you saying that I smell like a Nekomata?"

Chen shook her head, "I don't know. All I know is that you smell like Papa."

Okay… "And who is your Papa?"

"… I don't know, I never got to meet him." Chen said sadly, her ears drooping down.

So wait, she says I smell like her father, but she doesn't know who he is or what he looks like?

"But, I do know he took good care of me. Yukari-sama and Ran-sama told me."

Is that so? Wait a minute… Yup, they're still here… And why are you two looking at each other like that?

"Now Chen…" Yukari spoke up, "I know you miss your Papa, but this man isn't him. You should know that, right?"

Chen looked down at her feet, "Yes, Yukari-sama…" Oh man, I'm getting sad just looking at her.

"However…" Yukari added, "If you'd like, Seido can be your new papa. What do you think, Chen?"

… Say WHAT?

"Y-Yukari-sama?" And it seems Ran shares my disbelief.

"REALLY?" What the… don't go along with Yukari's scheme, Chen!

"Wait a minute! Don't I have a say here?" I cried out in desperation.

Yukari glanced at me over her fan, "Oh, are you saying you don't want to become Chen's new papa?" What the, I never said that! Don't go twisting my words!

"Y-You don't want to?" Not you too, Chen! I never said- Oh no… don't tell me you're gonna cry. Please don't cry!

Ran, help me! I turned desperately to the shikigami, who could only helplessly shake her head. Right… can't go against your mistress' will.

"Oh, alright…" I caved, "I'll be Chen's new papa." You win this time, Yukari. But I'll get you back for this, just you-

"YAY! I LOVE YOU PAPA!" Another glomp from the cute little Nekomata.

"Now that we've settled this, it's time for some lunch. Ran?" Yukari turned to her shikigami, who bowed and went to set the table. Now that I think about it…

"Hey Chen, are you also Yukari's shikigami?" The cat girl shook her head.

"Nope! I'm Ran-sama's shikigami!" So… she's the shikigami… of a shikigami? Meh, I've heard weirder stuff.

"C'mon Papa! I'm hungry~" Chen whined while dragging me by my arm, which she is succeeding since she's a yokai.

"Okay, okay! Stop pulling my arm before it comes off!"

So to sum up my day, I learned how to use danmaku, got some Spell Cards, got into a fight with a bunch fairies, nearly fell to my death, got myself a pair of wings, was mistaken for a Tengu by an actual tengu and now…

"Let's go, Papa." I have a cute little Nekomata for a daughter.

Gensokyo, I sort of both love and hate you now.

…..

**And done!**

**Well, I can tell you I had a lot of fun writing this. A few changes here and there, but here it is.**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Read and review, please and thank you.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Small note, I changed the name of Seido's 2****nd**** Spell Card. That is all.**

…**..**

**Chapter 8: First visit to White Jade Mansion**

I woke up and yawned before stretching my hands… or at least I tried to.

Leaning on my right shoulder fast asleep is Ran Yakumo, Yukari's shikigami. Lying on my lap also fast asleep is Chen, Ran's shikigami. All of us are currently on the sofa in the Yukari's living room, with the Yokai of Boundaries herself nowhere in sight.

I'm startled for a moment before remembering what transpired yesterday.

…

After eating lunch, Chen wanted me to play tag with her. Thinking that it's just a regular game, I agreed.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten that in Gensokyo, what is normal for the residents here is pretty much plain crazy in my world.

So, I ended spending hunting and chasing Chen in some wacky house where the doors, stairs and corridors are literally all over the place. Walls, floor, even the ceiling! One time, I went through a door attached to the wall, fell onto the ceiling and came down to the floor.

Reminded me of Portal, only without the portal gun, the test chambers, the hazards, the power-crazy A.I. and the promise of cake.

Nope, just me, this house and my recently-adopted, Nekomata shikigami daughter whom I'm playing tag with.

Yeah… I wonder why I'm so accepting with all this. Guess I really am just a simple guy.

Anyway, by the time I managed to catch, it was already time for dinner, courtesy of our growling stomachs. So we went back, had dinner and then Chen made a huge fuss not wanting to take a bath. I can't blame her.

As a Nekomata, one of her main weaknesses is water, which even average cats normally can't stand. Ironically as a type of Bakeneko, Chen's ability to acquire to the powers of a wrathful god when possessed can only be removed with water.

It took a lot, and I mean A LOT of effort to finally get Chen to bath, which includes having to find her when she was hiding, Ran tying her up and dragged her when we found her (not that it worked much), Chen escaping and having to chase her, even a Spell Card battle, me & Ran versus Chen. It wasn't the "standard" Spell Card battle but considering how stupid the reason was, I could care less about the rules. It's pretty amazing what one Nekomata can do when her back is up against the wall though. By the time we finished the whole ordeal (and given Chen a proper bath), it was way past midnight. Yukari had already told Reimu that I'd be spending the night there.

As a result, I not only end up staying the night, Chen had me tell bedtime stories since she couldn't sleep. I wasn't sure when Ran joined in, but once she did, things got pretty lively. I guess somewhere along the way, we all fell asleep.

…

I sighed to myself before smiling at the Nekomata sleeping on my lap. She may be a handful, but she sure is cute when she sleeps. I gently stroke her head, causing Chen to softly purr in her sleep.

Hmm… I wonder if I can-

**Poke.**

"… Meow~"

… Let's try that again.

**Poke.**

"Mmm… Reow~"

**Poke, poke, poke…**

**CRUNCH!**

"Agh-" I clamp my mouth with one hand as I try to remove the other from Chen's mouth. Yeah, I had this coming. But c'mon! Who could resist such an opportunity?

"That wasn't very nice, you know. Poking Chen on the cheek while she's sleeping."

Hm? Oh Ran, you're awake! Wait a minute…

"How long have you been watching?"

"Since you started poking Chen… You really deserved that bite, you know."

I grinned sheepishly, "Yeah… How long are you going to rest your head on my shoulder?"

Ran smiled, "As long as I can, it's really comfortable. You have really broad shoulders, by the way."

… Oh great. "So you do take after your mistress after all…" I groaned.

**Pinch! **"OW!"

"How rude! I don't enjoy teasing people like Yukari-sama does." The kitsune pouts while getting up. Huh, you look pretty cute when you pout, Ran.

"Munyan~ Oh! Good morning Ran-sama! Good morning Papa!" Chen says as she gives me a hug. I smile before giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Morning Chen. Sleep well?"

"Yup. Hee hee~" Her twin tails wave from side to side as I stroke her head.

"You know… you really do look like a daddy right now." I know that voice.

"Y-Yukari-sama?" Ran looked really shocked.

"Oh, morning Yukari." I raised my hand in greeting.

"Good morning, Yukari-sama!"

"Morning." Yukari raised her hand to stifle a yawn. "Ran, be a dear and get breakfast ready. We are going to Hakugyokurou."

"Oh, you're going somewhere. Then, I better get out of your-"

Yukari interrupted, "And you're coming with us." Huh?

I asked, "I am?" Which Ran echoed, "He is?"

"Yay! Papa coming with us!" Chen hugged me again.

Oh no, you don't. "Thanks, but no thanks." I replied.

Yukari took out her fan and covered the bottom-half of her face, "Oh? Are you saying you won't join us on our visit?" I shook my head, desperate to avoid whatever scheme the gap yokai would drag me into.

"I've already had lunch and dinner here, I'm pretty sure I overstayed my welcome." I reasoned. 'And I want no part in your schemes, Yukari. I can see why Reimu gets annoyed by the mere sight of you.' I finished in my thoughts.

"Is that so?" Yukari paused, "Chen, it seems that your papa doesn't want to come with us."

WHAT? How **DARE** you bring Chen into this! I'm gonna Spark-

"Papa…" I froze in mid-movement and turned towards Chen. "You're not coming with us?" Oh dear…

"Umm… no Chen, I'm afraid I can't. Yukari said that she told Reimu that I'd return today, so I'd-"

"Actually…" Yukari interrupted, "Even though I did say you'd be returning today, I didn't say at what **time**." She smirked.

Oh man, you gotta be kidding me! I am not going to end up a pawn in your games, Yukari!

"Please come with us, Papa. Please?" I look down at Chen, who is now hugging me and staring at me with…, big… sad… soulful… eyes- Oh no! Not the Cute Kitty Cat Eyes of Doom! Anything but that! Yukari…

"Pwease~ Papa? Pweeeaaasssseeee~" … Okay, _**NOW**_ you gotta be kidding me.

I'm not gonna budge, you hear me! Don't look at me like you're going to cry, Chen! It won't- YOU'RE ACTUALLY SHEDDING TEARS? And now she's… putting both fists up to her chin and her mouth is-

_**WARNING! WARNING!**_

_**MOE OVERLOAD! MOE OVERLOAD!**_

Oh god. Why is this happening to me?

Well folks, I admit defeat. If the picture I'm looking at right now isn't the Holy Grail of cuteness, I **DEMAND** you send me the image that could beat this very **ONE**!

"Alright… I'm going." Damn it, Yukari. You purposely taught Chen how to that, didn't you? You sure got a thing for contingency plans, I'll give you that.

Ran gave me a sympathizing smile, "I'm sorry, Seido. Chen always got me with that as well." I see, you too huh?

"YAY! Thank you, Papa!" Chen hugged me again before walking to Ran. Yeah, you're welcome Chen. Seriously, I have to add this to my payback list. And speaking of paybacks…

"Hey, Chen?"

Chen turned around, "Yes, Papa-"

**GLOMP!**

"Meow?"

I glomp my daughter from behind and hold her in the air. Consider this payback for roping in your papa like that, you little devil you!

…

**Hakugyokurou: Gardens**

Emerging from the gap, the first thing I see are trees as far as the eye can see.

"Hey, Yukari? Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Of course, Seido. We are currently in Hakugyokurou, or rather the garden."

… Did she say GARDEN?

"Wait! Are you saying that this entire area… is merely the GARDEN?"

I look around with my mouth open. WHO is the person we are meeting?

Yukari had to tap me on the head to get my attention, "Come along now. You'll have plenty of time to see the sights later."

I nodded my head and followed Yukari , Ran and Chen.

A few minutes later, we soon came face to face with another person. At this point, I've gotten very tired at calling all the females I meet "girls" and considering they are much, much older than I am, the term does not fit by a mile.

"Greetings Yukari-sama. Yuyuko-sama has been expecting you."

"Ah greetings, Youmu. This is Seido, Gensokyo's newest addition and the latest outsider."

I can see a hint of shock and- Uh oh… the glare I'm getting tells me she was part of the incident too.

….

Oh right, I forgot those idiots pissed off the major population here.

Youmu has short silver hair worn in a bob cut, and bright red eyes. She wears a dark green and white dress with several ghost insignias along the edges and a ghost insignia as well on her breast pocket, and a black ribbon tied off-center in her hair. She carries a long katana with a cherry blossom insignia and a flower attached to it and a wakizashi behind her at waist-level. There's even a formless ghost floating above her head- Eh?

I look at the ghost; it greatly resembled those in picture stories for kids.

… And now Youmu's reaching for her katana- **SHVING**- Oh crap. Now I have the edge of a sword pointing at my face! I just came here for a few minutes and now I have someone who's threatening my life, I think I would have been better off being born female…

"HEY! Don't bully Papa!" Chen comes forward with her claws out, but Ran stops her.

Yukari must be enjoying this because she said, "Well Seido, if you already done observing Youmu, what can you tell about her?"

Is this really the time? I'm about to get- She's not going cut me down? Talk about your mood swings… No pun intended. Well, I've

I look at Yukari for a moment before looking back at Youmu and the blade. Considering her built and stature, and including the length of the katana, "She's a swordsman who fights using both hands when wielding her katana." I could be wrong, but I'll say what I honestly think.

I look at the wakizashi, "She's also ambidextrous, so she can fight with a blade in both hands if necessary…" I look at the flower attached to the sheath of the katana, "And she's a gardener."

"The gardener." Youmu corrected, "I am the only one in charge of the garden. And how did you know that?" I pointed at the flower on her sheath, before looking at the ghost floating on her head.

"And I see that you're half-ghost." I joked.

"EH? H-How did you know?" … Seriously? She really is half-ghost?

"Yeah, I can see the connecting lines between the two of you…" I wait for Youmu to be shocked before adding, "Just kidding, I don't have that kind of ability."

"B-But, how did you know I am a half-ghost?"

"I was just joking about it, I didn't think you really are part ghost… By the way, can you put the sword away before you poke one of my eyes out?" When she did, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, were you scared staring at the edge of my blade?" Youmu asked.

I narrowed my eyes as I frowned at her, "What do you think?"

"Your face said otherwise. You looked rather indifferent in spite of the danger." Youmu said.

Did I really look like that? I must look like a lunatic then.

"Ara ara~, what happening over here? Oh! Hello, Yukarin~." Now a… woman is approaching us? Well, meeting someone who at least looks older than I am is a welcome sight, even if they're also female.

Let's see. Hair is a pale shade of pink. Wears a light, pale blue kimono with ghost designs. White and blue ribbon around her waist, another going down her kimono, and the bands and lacing on her arms and collar and has a transparent layer underneath. Her mob cap has a veil and a hitaikakushi and she is wearing black shoes and frilly socks.

… And she's floating above ground, has two small ghosts following her- Wait a minute.

Could she be…?

"Are you Yuyuko, the bourei?" I asked, remembering the conversation I had with Suika. The woman paused before nodding her head, "That's me~. And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Seido."

The bourei stared at me before looking over my shoulder to Yukari, I assume. And then…

**GLOMP!**

Now Yuyuko has my head buried in her bust while swinging me around like a little girl who got herself a doll, "Oh, Kami-chan! I wanted to see you again for a long time!"

Kami-chan? How does she know my real name? She said that she was waiting to see me again for a long time? Have we met before? Oh damn, I can't breathe! "Mmm… Mmmm!" I began swinging my arms wildly, trying to get Yuyuko to let me go.

Thankfully, Yukari came to my rescue, "Yuyuko, it is best you let go of Seido. He can't breathe with you suffocating him with your bust."

"Aww~." I heard Yuyuko pout before letting me go, allowing me to breathe air again.

Youmu looked shocked, "Yuyuko-sama, do you know this person?"

Yuyuko was surprised, "Why of course, Youmu. Don't you remember? He-"

"Yuyuko!" Yukari said suddenly, "This is Seido's first visit here and Youmu has only just met him. Isn't that right, Yuyuko?"

Yuyuko paused for moment, looking at Yukari before her eyes widened. She then nodded, "Oh yes! Silly me~. This is the first time you've been here, isn't it Seido?"

I slowly nodded my head, slightly unnerved by the strange display of behaviour from the two women.

Normally, I would assume the reason Yukari said that because Yuyuko seemed ditzy but something in her tone made me think there is a deeper meaning to it.

"So… who exactly are you?" I asked. "I only heard about your name, nothing else.

Ran spoke up, "She is Yuyuko Saigyouji. She is the Princess of the Netherworld, and the governess of Death."

I blinked a few times at Yuyuko, trying to get it through my head that the airhead in front of me has such a serious position. Then again, is the ditzy side she shows a side effect for having such power?

"So… how do you know who I am?"

Yuyuko's ditzy smile did not falter, "Oh, I heard about you from Yukari for some time now! With how she talks about you, I wanted to see for myself the outsider who captured Yukari's heart~!"

Yukari retorted, "That is not true. Really, Yuyuko. Where in Gensokyo did you get that idea?"

"Since you always looks like a lady in love whenever you talk about him~" I couldn't help but smirk when I realized that Yuyuko was teasing the gap yokai. She's Yukari's friend alright.

The bourei then turned "But I can see why she's so interested in you. You're very cute, like my Youmu! You even look good enough to eat!" If it wasn't I didn't see Yuyuko drooling from the side of her mouth, I would assume that she was just teasing me. Oh c'mon, Seido! She's the host here! Just because she's ditzy doesn't mean she'll-

"As a matter a fact…"

Huh? How did she get so close?"

"I think I'll have a little taste!"

Wait, what are you- GAAAAHHHHH!

…..

**Third Person Point of View**

Everyone was shocked as Yuyuko literally swallowed Seido's entire head. The outsider futilely struggled to get the princess off.

As a bourei, a soul that possesses corporeal form, Yuyuko's body does not have the limitations her human body has, like skin, muscles or bones. As result, her entire body is able stretch beyond the limitations of living flesh. This is why Yuyuko is capable of stuffing an entire human head into her mouth. It is also how she is capable of eating vast amounts of food in a sort amount of time and why her body still looks the same. As for where the food goes is still a mystery, a mystery Seido may have the unfortunate opportunity of finding out.

"Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu screamed, "Yuyuko-sama, please stop eating Seido!"

Ran and Chen however, decided to take a more direct approach, prying Yuyuko's head off Seido's.

"Yuyuko-sama! I insist that you spit out Seido's head this instant!" Ran cried.

"Papa! Papa! Let him go!" Chen tried to pull her adoptive father away to no avail.

Yukari narrowed her eyes as she puts away her fan and slowly approached with her parasol in hand.

But what came next shocked everyone even further.

As Seido struggled to get his head out, his body began to emit a kind of mist. Slowly, the mist began to gather at his back, shaping itself.

The more he struggled, the denser the mist became, expanding itself further with every passing second. This continued until it finally took the distinct shape of two black wings.

**SHOOM!**

Seido furiously flapped both wings, creating a strong gust that threatened to blow away everyone in the area. He then flew straight up into the sky with Yuyuko still "attached" to his head before kicking her in the abdomen, finally succeeding in freeing himself.

As Seido shook his head to get rid of the saliva, Yuyuko narrowed her eyes and covered the bottom half of her face with her fan as she observed the boy. Back on the ground, Youmu, Ran and Chen looked up in shock.

Among the three, Youmu was the first to speak, "Wha? What is that? Are those wings? Is that his power?" She turned to Ran who could only shook her head.

"I do not know. I had never seen him use that sort of thing nor seen him display the ability to fly." Ran said, recalling that Seido provided ground support during the Spell card battle yesterday.

"Yukari-sama, do you know- Yukari-sama?" Ran turned to her mistress, whose gaze is now on the outsider. Yukari paid no attention to her shikigami, silently watching Seido and Yuyuko as they remained in the air. An action Ran has rarely seen during her employment.

This was something Yukari Yakumo had to take seriously.

…..

**Seido's Point of View**

GODAMMIT! She really tried to eat me! What the hell was that about!

I looked down, glaring at the princess of the netherworld. She didn't look hurt from that kick I gave her… Well, I admit I'm half disappointed by this. But she did placed my whole head in her mouth.

YUCK! I need a shower when this is done.

"Ara, ara~ . Well, aren't you interesting? Those wings you have…"

I raised an eyebrow, "What about my wings?"

"See for yourself."

Looking over both shoulders, I noticed that my current wings are different than the wings I used yesterday. Besides being bigger, the wings I have now don't seem to match any flying-type bird I know of. In fact, I don't think they belong to any type of birds at all.

The black "wings" in question are rather long and pointed; sort of resembling the high speed wings you find on a falcon and yet they have rather large slots on them. The result makes my wings look somewhat skeletal in nature.

If I wasn't hovering above the garden right now, I wouldn't have believed these wings are actually capable of flying. They looked… incomplete.

"Yukari told me that you didn't learn how to fly but… it seems you dealt with that problem on your own. That would make things a lot easier." Said the bourei princess.

"What things?"

"You've already learned how to use Danmaku, and I heard that you've got a few Spell Cards already. So how about a Spell Card battle?"

I lowered both eyelids. How did she know about my Spell Cards? Did Yukari tell her last night when Ran & I fought Chen? Goddamit, Yukari.

Yuyuko continued, "It would be boring if it was just a normal battle. So how about a little bet?"

I was afraid of this, "That depends… What kind of bet?"

"If I win… let's see, I'll make you do whatever I want~. Maybe I'll make you my servant, have you wear all kinds of cute clothes. It will be so much fun~."

OH HELL NO! As much as I'd like to refuse this offer, I don't think I can get anywhere if I avoid every fight that comes my way. Going against a strong opponent will be educational experience, for me anyway. At least I don't have to worry about getting killed.

Yuyuko looked at me, "What about you? What is your side of the bet?"

… "If I win, I get to hit you on the face. Hard."

I can hear a few gasps from the ground. Yeah, I know. Wanting to punch the princess of the netherworld who oversees death is beyond simple stupidity. But right here, right now, I don't give a damn. Whatever rationality I had left with me when I arrived here, it burned out with Yuyuko's little stunt.

Yuyuko covered her face with her fan, "Very well then. I accept your condition~."

"Yuyuko-sama! You can't be serious!" Youmu shouted.

"Oh, don't be such a spoil-sport Youmu~. It will be more fun this way~."

The gardener shook her head and sighed before unsheathing her sword. Her mistress however waved her hand dismissively, "Put away your sword, Youmu. You won't be fighting this time."

Both Youmu and I shared the same look of disbelief, "What? Then, who is going to fight for you?"

The princess narrowed her eyes as several prism-colored butterflies appeared around, "Isn't it obvious? The one fighting you, will be **me**."

…

Oh crap.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Butterfly That Heralds One's End**

**Hakurei Shrine (A few minutes ago)**

"I just can't believe this!" Reimu stomped her foot, pacing around while waving a note around in her hand. Its contents are as follows:

Dear Reimu,

I'll be keeping Seido with me for a little while longer, as Yuyuko has requested to meet with him face to face. You shall have him back later today…

Probably.

Kisses,

Yukari

P.S: You're gonna need new snacks.

"So that's why I've been running low on snacks! That no good, thieving, busybody, only beautiful on the first glance…" The shrine maiden continued her maniacal rant for several minutes before finally calming down.

"Well, at least she's getting that outsider to do her dirty work instead…" Reimu paused, "Yet, I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

It was then she felt it, the weird sensation she felt yesterday afternoon. While she could detect it, it was pretty hard to pinpoint the location.

"What is going on?"

**Hakugyokurou: Gardens (Present)**

Now how did I get into this mess in the first place?

Oh yeah. Yukari got me to tag along for visit to Hakugyo- Hagyoko- Argh, the netherworld while getting Chen to "convince" me. I nearly got skewered by Youmu, the gardener. The mistress of this place, Yuyuko literally swallowed my whole head. And I accepted a challenge for Spell Card battle, which unexpectedly, the Princess of the Netherworld herself will be fighting.

Speaking of which, remember how I asked myself like 7 chapters ago what it would be like to see danmaku fly around in first person view? I just found out the answer to that, as well as why there are no 3D danmaku games.

**FWOOSH!**

Because it emphasizes the jigoku (hell) part of danmaku! Imagine seeing tons of bullets filling up the screen to the point you can't see the background. Well, that's the exact situation I'm in! I didn't think bullets based on living creatures can be so… lively. Am I using the right word for this? I mean these danmaku butterflies actually look like the real thing. Save for the fact they must hurt like hell if I get hit.

Dodging the bullets the best I can, I countered by shooting a bunch of lasers at her… Only to see them bounce of some sort of shield she conjured. I can barely touch her, let alone hurt her!

"What's the matter, dear? Your danmaku are like biscuits and you seem to shaking like jelly~. "

SHE IS TOTALLY PLAYING AROUND WITH ME! And what's with the food metaphor?

Somehow Yuyuko decided that she isn't torturing me enough, because she took out a Spell Card, "Losing Hometown: Lost Soul's Village –Wandering Soul-"

Jesus Christ! I have never appreciated the fact I can fly more than now. There is no way I can avoid this storm of danmaku on foot! Wait a minute…

I noticed that the danmaku only covered a certain area, then all I have to do is move into that area and-

**FWOOSH!**

Yikes! Where did the claws of death come from?! Wait… it's from Yuyuko's fan! So she can channel her energy through items too? Man, that's cool- NO! This is not the time to be admiring her!

Yuyuko smiled, "So do you wish face a maelstrom of danmaku or you would rather have the fan of death instead? Please make up your mind."

That is not what I call a choice! Damn it, how am I suppose to beat someone who governs over death and who clearly outmatches me in every aspect?

"You seem to be doing fine~. Let's turn it up a little bit, shall we~? Lost Soul's Village –Fatal Sin-"

"What do you mean-"My question was left unfinished as its answer threatened to literally blast me to oblivion. Not only did the amount of danmaku increased when she changed the last part of the card's name, the range of that fan has increased too!

… So she what? Raise the difficulty or something? Ridiculous as that sounds, I can't help feel that it fits with what's happening here.

Come on already! I feel like I'm fighting some goofy, gluttonous Godzilla… and I'm Tokyo! And if you're wondering why I haven't used any of my Spell Cards, it's because I only have three! While I'm tempted to use them, I'm screwed if I lose them all!

"Papa! Do you best!" I heard Chen cheering me on, however I was too preoccupied with self preservation to reply. However, one butterly managed to blow up one of my wings off and caused me to fall onto a tree. After jumping off and spitting out the leaves I collected in my mouth, I noticed that my destroyed wing was slowly regenerating.

"Weird… but cool!"

With aerial maneuvers becoming severely limited, the only thing I can do is hover just above the ground. With the large amount of trees, I should at least be able to-

"It won't work that way~" Yuyuko waved her fan and all the butterflies flew straight at me… while avoiding every single tree!

"OH, COME ON!" I immediately put some distance between me and the butterflies. Fortunately, I'm slightly faster due to the current build of my wings. Now that I think about it, is my wings made of danmaku too?

"You can't run forever, you know. Try and fight back!" I heard Yukari say. No shit, Sherlock. I know that. But even if I did, there's no guarantee it would work.

I mean what can I do? I've only got three Spell Cards: one for defense, one for crowd control and one for single target obliteration… I'm not sure about that last one. I can't use them rashly, I can't hurt Yuyuko with my ordinary danmaku and her arsenal of Spell Card is by far larger. Kind of like a low level character going against a boss. I can't win unless I come up with more Spell Cards and I can't lose because I don't want to.

… What? I really don't want to know what Yuyuko has in store for me.

But between running for my life and dodging butterflies of death, I pretty much occupied- Oh CRAP!

**THOOM!**

**Meanwhile…**

As Seido barely dodged what would have been a fatal blow, Yuyuko's attack left a crater in the ground and uprooted several trees. Yuyuko shook her head and sighed before resuming her assault. Yukari quietly observed as Seido continued to evade. While she understood why he chose that course of action, the yokai of boundaries could help but feel disappointed. Then again, having the Princess of the Netherworld as his first real opponent isn't the best decision.

It was then Youmu brought snacks and tea for the guests. Chen jumped with joy while Ran bowed in thanks as they helped themselves. Yukari nodded her head as she helped herself to a biscuit while she continued to watch.

Seido had then hid behind a tree in order to catch his breath. A moment later, he realized that the bullets had stopped. Peeking from behind the tree, he found Yuyuko nowhere in sight. Scratching his head, he looked around for the bourei… Not realizing that she was floating upside down, just above his head.

Yukari sighed, "Just like Yuyuko to play with her prey."

**Seido POV**

"Where the heck did she go? Did she turn invisible?" I frantically looked around, trying to find the bourei before she gets the drop on me. But considering the fact that she is a spirit and in the horror movies I watched where the ghosts tend to pop up where you least expect it, she probably already has. Then that means…

I looked up to see Yuyuko giving me a wink. I should run for my life now.

"You can't run forever!" I heard Yuyuko said from behind me.

I replied as I flew straight into the air, "I know! But that won't stop me from trying!" Since she deactivated her first Spell Card and hasn't activated another, now might be a good time to counterattack. "Assault Sign: Reverse Vortex Barrage!" My Spell Card broke as I called it and countless danmaku starting pouring out… Yuyuko looked surprised as she didn't expect me to use my Spell Cards.

Pause. Now before we get to the battle, let me explain my plan. My Assault Card will act as a decoy while I try to get close to the bourei enough to use the Sonic Spark, up close and personal. If she manages to break the Assault card, I'll have to use Unyielding Aegis to force my through. Well, it's not much of a plan as it is a gamble. Sooner or later, she's going to take me down no matter how much I intend to run or how long I drag this out. All that does is delay the inevitable: Either one of us will win and the other will lose. I stayed in Gensokyo to get stronger and I have to accept all the outcomes that come with it. Both good and bad.

"Well, here goes everything!"

Expanding my wings, I charged through my own danmaku and headed straight for Yuyuko…

**3****rd**** POV**

As everyone watched Seido go on the offensive for the first time since the battle started, it was clear to the more experienced danmaku users that the boy was doing a suicidal attack. Youmu was confused by this course of action.

"I don't understand? Why didn't he use his Spell Cards earlier instead of evading her attacks and looking for an opening? Since his normal danmaku can't hurt Yuyuko-sama, it would have been the best decision."

"He can't." Yukari replied, "He only has three Spell Cards at his disposal and if he uses them rashly, it would only hasten his defeat."

The gardener was shocked, "J-Just three!? How could he think about taking Yuyuko-sama with only three!?"

Ran spoke up, "To be fair, getting his head swallowed earlier may be the cause of his irrational behaviour. Then again, that was the first time I've seen her actually try to eat someone."

The gardener lowered her flushed face as she recalled what happened earlier as well as when her mistress ate a sparrow youkai named Mystia Lorelei during the flowering incident some time ago. However, Seido is a human and Youmu wondered what would make Yuyuko do such a thing as it was something stupid… even for her.

Meanwhile Yuyuko fired her danmaku at Seido, who continued to dodge them as best he could. Unfortunately for him, his Spell Card broke sooner than he anticipated and forced him to resort to Unyielding Aegis immediately. While it threw off the "plan" a little, he was quite close to Yuyuko by then.

"So far so good… Just a little more."

Yuyuko on the otherhand has already seen through his plan and did not want to make things easy for him. Everytime he managed to get close enough, the bourei purposely put more distance between herself and Seido, forcing the latter to follow her.

"Damn it, how am I suppose to get her now? If only I had a bomb or something…" And as he said that, an idea formed in his head.

Yuyuko was surprised when Seido disabled Unyielding Aegis, "What's this? Have you decided to give up already?" The young boy merely smiled as he closed his eyes and visualized what he wanted. A few moments later, a new Spell Card emerged in front of him, surprising everyone else present. Picking up, Seido grinned as he shouted its name.

"Assault Sign: Cluster Bomb!"

The card then took shape as an oddly shaped energy ball with lots of bumps on it. Seido picked it up and threw it at Yuyuko, who merely moved to the side to dodge it. "Ara~ Is that all?"

However, a sudden explosion from behind made her turn around… just in time to avoid the ball from earlier from making contact with her face, followed by a cluster of danmaku. Another explosion is heard as the ball flies in another direction, unleashing more danmaku in its wake.

"Wow, that's very pretty." Chen purred as she watches in awe.

Ran on the other hand is puzzled, "How is this possible?"

Yukari nodded her head, "I see. The ball is actually a large cluster of danmaku gathered together. It explodes periodically, releases danmaku and sends the ball in a random direction. The cycle continues until the ball is completely out of energy or the Spell Card breaks."

Youmu was concerned with another matter, "Wait, where is Seido?"

At the mention of this, Yuyuko realized that the young boy was no longer in his previous position and had disappeared.

"Surprise." A voice from behind greeted her.

It became clear that while everyone was distracted by the Cluster Bomb Spell Card, Seido had the opportunity to sneak up on the bourei. Without Marisa's mini-Hakkero, he needed time to gather sufficient energy in order to use Sonic Spark, time granted to him with his new Spell Card.

And now he was right behind Yuyuko, aiming his final Spell Card right at her.

"Justice Sign: Sonic Spark!"

As a familiar ray of light enveloped Yuyuko, Youmu shouted, "Yuyuko-sama!" and then muttered, "Spark? Is he under the black white magician's tutelage?"

Yukari chuckled, "Not quite, but he is learning a few things from her. In fact, I have a feeling he'll be learning a lot of things from everyone for that matter."

Even though the half-ghost was curious, her attention was soon diverted as Yuyuko emerged from the beam, mostly unharmed save for some tattered clothes.

"Nice move, dear. But, it's not good enough to defeat me."

Despite this, Seido merely placed both hands in his pockets and glanced at the bourei. "Well, I'm out of ideas. So it's my loss."

Yuyuko waved her fan, conjuring a large amount of danmaku butterflies behind her. Seido looked up at the army and sighed, "Just get on with it."

….

**A few minutes later… (Seido's POV)**

After being swarmed by Yuyuko's butterflies, I woke up inside a crater a little later. As Yuyuko and I agreed before the battle, since I lost I have to do whatever she says.

Though…

"Here Seido, say Aaaa…" Yuyuko placed a cookie in front of my mouth

"Aaa…" I obediently opened my mouth and ate it.

Sitting on her lap and being hand-fed wasn't what I was expecting exactly… I haven't been babied like this since my grandparents' house several years ago.

Yukari covered her mouth with her fan but I can tell that she was smirking, "So… how does it feel to be pampered again after so long?"

"Shut up." I said while chewing. Chen was sitting on Ran's lap, who was looking away and trying not to laugh while Youmu served me tea with a straight face. Her ghost-half on the other hand, seems to be enjoying the sight.

It was then I remembered, "Before we head back, I'd like to stop by my room to pick up some essentials."

"Oh? You can pick them up now." Yukari waved her hand and opened a gap, straight into my room. I tried to stand up, but Yuyuko maintained a firm grip on me. "Um… Yuyuko? Can you let me go get my stuff?"

"Call me Big Sis."

Groan. "Big sis Yuyuko, can you please let me go so that I can get my stuff? Pretty please?"

Yuyuko cupped her face with both of her hands and blushed, "Okay, Seido-chan."

I glanced at Youmu, "You're Yuyuko's caretaker, right?"

"Yes?"

"My sympathies."

Youmu chuckled lightly and nodded, "Appreciated, Seido."

Yuyuko pouted, "Hey! That's mean!"

Shrugging, I walked through the gap and grabbed my backpack. Then, I start to mentally checking off my personal list of stuff I need while I'm staying in Gensokyo.

Let's see… clothes, check. Flashlight, check. Cell- Oh right, lost that. I wonder if a Swiss Army Knife would be handy? I'm not exactly going camping…

"There is one thing I have to bring with me, no matter what…" Reaching under my bed, I pulled out an old box and opened it, revealing an old pocket watch.** His** pocket watch.

…How long has it been? 10 years? And I lived with what happened everyday.

I'm going to keep my promise, no matter how long it takes. No matter what it costs.

Taking one last look at my room before going through the gap, I bid the life I lived goodbye for now.

….

I wonder how Yukari's gonna explain this to my parents?


End file.
